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§ The  Part  It 
Took  in  the' 
War  of  the 
Rebellion 

1861-1865 


Published  by  the  Twelfth  West  Virginia 
Infantry  Association 


m 


JJISTORY  of  the  Twelfth 
West  Virginia  Volunteer 
Infantry  By  WILLIAM  HEWITT 


HISTORY 

u 

OF  THE 

Twelfth  West  Vir- 
ginia Volunteer 
Infantry 

The  Part  It  Took  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion 

1861-1865 

WILLIAM  HEWITT 


Published  by  the  Twelfth  West  Virginia 
Infantry  Association 


the  Surviving  Comrades  and  the 
Families  of  the  Fallen  of  the 
Old  Twelfth  this  work 
is  Respectfully 
Dedicated 


■ 


PREFACE 


Comrades: 

You  conferred  upon  me  at  our  reunion,  held  at  New 
Cumberland,  in  1889,  the  honor  of  selecting  me  to  compile 
a history  of  the  Twelfth.  The  matter  was  taken  into 
consideration  afterward  by  me,  and  owing  in  part  to  the 
magnitude,  burden  and  difficulty  of  the  proposed  task,  my 
inexperience  in  this  kind  of  undertaking,  and  because  I 
believed  that  there  were  other  survivors  of  the  regiment 
much  better  qualified  to  write  the  history,  it  was  concluded 
to  forego  the  undertaking.  But  at  our  next  reunion,  be- 
cause Col.  Curtis  was  disappointed  that  nothing  had  been 
done  in  the  matter  of  the  history,  and  was  anxious  that  it 
be  written,  and  for  the  reason  that  the  comrades  present 
again  expressed  a desire  that  I should  undertake  the  work, 
I promised  to  attempt  it  and  do  the  best  I could.  Labor- 
ing under  the  unavoidable  difficulties  that  it  has  been 
thirty  years  since  the  old  Twelfth  was  making  its  history 
in  the  field,  the  almost  total  lack  of  official  records  pertain- 
ing exclusively  to  the  regiment,  and  the  uncertainty  of 
memory  at  this  late  day,  I have  tried  with  reasonable 
fidelity  to  fulfill  my  promise.  In  reason  more  should  not 
be  expected. 

If  you,  the  survivors  of  the  Twelfth,  be  pleased  with 
the  history,  this  fact  will  be  a sufficient  reward  for  my 
labors;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  if  it  shall  not  come  up  to 
your  expectations,  you  should  be  charitable  to  its  faults 
and  short  comings,  remembering  that  however  great  its 
imperfections  you,  yourselves,  are  largely  responsible,  for 
the  task  was  not  one  of  my  own  seeking,  but  was  rather 
thrust  upon  me. 

The  plan  aimed  at  in  writing  the  history  is  to  not  go 
outside  of  our  own  organization  in  what  is  related,  ex- 


cept  to  give  a brief  account  of  the  operations  of  the  vari- 
ous armies  to  which  we  belonged,  and  to  intersperse  the 
work  with  incidents,  anecdotes,  and  matters  mainly  per- 
sonal to  the  members  of  the  regiment. 

Whatever  possible  merit  may  be  found  in  the  history 
is  largely  due  to  the  assistance  of  comrades  in  furnishing 
valueable  data.  Some  of  them  were  quite  liberal  in  their 
contributions.  And  where  there  is  failure  to  make  men- 
tion of  incidents  worthy  of  record,  or  of  daring  deeds  of 
individuals  or  detachments,  it  is  because  they  were  not 
known,  or  are  not  remembered  by  the  compiler.  Reasona- 
ble effort  was  made  to  get  all  such  details.  A card  was 
inserted  in  various  newspapers,  and  letters  were  written 
to  different  comrades  asking  that  they  be  furnished.  If 
comrades  shall  fail  to  find,  as  no  doubt  they  shall,  a record 
herein  of  certain  incidents  worthy  of  mention,  they  will 
be  forbearing  toward  the  historian  when  they  consider 
that  there  is  a number  of  such  matters  herein  given  that 
they  did  not  know  of  or  have  forgotten. 

The  comrades  will  all  feel  like  thanking  Mrs.  McCaff- 
rey, formerly  Mrs.  Bengough,  wife  of  the  late  Lieut. 
Bengough  of  the  Twelfth,  for  the  vivid  and  stirring  story 
of  the  capture,  detention  and  final  release  of  herself  and 
sister-in-law  as  prisoners  by  the  Rebels,  kindly  furnished 
for  this  history. 

Surviving  Comrades,  this  attempted  record  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  old  Twelfth  is  now  submitted  to  your  charita- 
ble consideration,  and  may  your  days  be  long,  peaceful, 
pleasant  and  prosperous. 

WILLIAM  HEWITT. 

June  20th,  1892. 


INDEX 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Circumstances  Under  Which  the  Twelfth  Was  Or- 
ganized— The  Character  of  the  Men  Composing  it — The 
Organization. 

CHAPTER  II. 

March  to  Clarksburg — Marches  and  Operations  in 
West  Virginia  in  the  Fall  of  ’62 — Incidents. 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Movement  into  the  Shenandoah  Valley — Stationed 
at  Winchester  Under  Gen.  Milroy — Moved  to  Berryville 
— The  Capture  of  Capt.  Lapole — Joke  on  Sergt.  Porter — 
From  Berryville  to  Clarksburg — The  March  Through 
Charlestown. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Battle  of  Winchester — The  Retreat — The  North 
Mountain  Girl — Halted  at  Bloody  Run,  Pa. — Marched 
to  Bedford — Left  Bedford  for  Loudon — Milroy’s  Men 
Capture  One  of  Lee’s  Trains  and  Many  Prisoners — 
Marched  to  Hagerstown  — Anecdotes  — Marched  to 
Sharpsburg — Thence  to  Martinsburg. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Col.  Flunk’s  Resignation  Accepted — Troops  Pass  from 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  Grant — An  Incident  about 
Van  and  Tom— Capt.  Bristor’s  Capture  of  Spy — Capt. 
Moffatt’s  Capture  of  Gilmore’s  Men — Lieut.  Blaney’s  Ob- 
servation— An  Incident  Concerning  Adjt.  Caldwell — Mrs. 
Bengough  a Prisoner — Her  Story. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

An  Attack  Expected — March  to  Maryland  Heights — 
Incidents — Brigaded  with  the  Thirty-fourth  Mass. — A 
Move  up  the  Valley — Incidents — The  Return — Incidents 
— Followed  by  Early-Threatened  Attack  at  Harper’s 
Ferry — Moved  to  Cumberland,  Md. — Comrade  Haney’s 
Story — Gens.  Kelly  and  Crook  Captured. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Under  Gen.  Sigel — March  to  Beverly,  via  Webster — 
March  back  to  Webster — The  Story  of  the  Camp  on  the 
Rebel  Farm — The  March  up  the  Valley — Two  of  Com- 
pany C Captured — The  Battle  of  New  Market — Gen. 
Sigel’s  Letter — Corpl.  De  Bee’s  Scout — An  Incident — 
Comrades  Miller  and  W.  C.  Mahan  as  Prisoners — Their 
Stories. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Sigel  Relieved — Hunter  in  Command — The  Lynch- 
burg Campaign — The  Battle  of  Piedmont — List  of  Killed 
and  Wounded — Marched  to  Lynchburg — Anecdote — 
The  Battle — The  Retreat  to  the  Kanawha — Hunter’s 
Loss  of  Artillery  on  Way — The  Men  Hard  rPessed  for 
Food. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Back  in  the  Valley — Threatening  Eearly  on  His  Re- 
treat from  Washington — Battle  of  Snicker’s  Ferry — 
Marched  to  Winchester — Battle  of  Kearnstown — Our 
Retreat  via.  Martinsburg  and  Sharpsburg  to  Halltown — 
An  Incident — R.  W.  Mahan’s  Prison  Trials — A Large 
Army  Concentrates  at  Halltown — The  Wild-goose  Chase 
Into  Maryland. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Sheridan  in  Command — The  Move  up  the  Valley — The 
Twelfth  Charges  Rebel  Skirmishers — Sheridan  Retreats 
to  Halltown — Early  Demonstrates  Against  Him — Early 
Withdraws — Sheridan  Moves  to  Charlestown  — The 
Fight  at  Berryville — Grant’s  Visit  to  Sheridan — The 


Battle  of  the  Opeguon — Anecdote  of  Sheridan — Battle  of 
Fisher’s  Hill — Pursuit  of  the  Enemy  up  the  Valley — 
Destruction  by  Sheridan — He  Falls  Back  to  Strasburg — 
Battle  of  Tom’s  Brook — Our  Brigade  Starts  for  Martins- 
burg  — Mosby  Attacks  an  Ambulance  Guard  — The 
Twelfth  Starts  for  the  Front — Early  Shells  Thoburn’s 
Camp — The  Battle  of  Cedar  Creek — The  Twelfth  on  the 
Way  to  the  Front — Sheridan  on  His  Ride — Col.  Thoburn 
Killed — Capt.  Phil  Bier  Killed — The  Twelfth  Marches  to 
Cedar  Creek — Thence  to  Newtown. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Army  Moves  Back  to  Kearnstown — Early  Fillows 
Far  as  Middletown — Sheridan’s  Cavalry  Drives  the  Rebel 
Cavalry — Early  Returns  to  New  Market — -Anecdotes — 
The  Twelfth  Moves  to  Stephenson’s  Depot — Salutes  for 
Gen.  Thomas’s  Victories — The  Twelfth  Sent  to  the  Army 
of  the  James — Put  into  the  Twenty-fourth  Corps — The 
Opposing  Pickets — Lieut.  Co.  Northcott’s  Resignation — 
The  Sinking  of  Rebel  Gun  Boats — Rebel  Deserters — The 
Peace  Commission — Grant  Reviews  Our  Corps— Gen. 
Turner  Commands  the  Division — It  Moves  to  Aid  Sher- 
idan— Asst.  Surg.  Neil’s  Lecture. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Part  of  Our  Army  Crosses  the  James — The  Second 
Division  at  Hatcher’s  Run — The  Capture  of  Fort  Gregg 
— The  Enemy  Evacuates  Richmond  and  Petersburg — The 
Pursuit — The  March  to  Cut  off  Lee’s  Retreat — An  Inci- 
dent— The  Second  Division  and  One  Other  Were  the  In- 
fantry Forces  Cutting  off  the  Retreat — The  Surrender — 
Both  Armies  Cheer — Lieut.  McCord — The  Col.  and  Cit- 
izen McLean  Talk — -An  Incident — Marched  to  Lynch- 
burg and  Back — Thence  to  Richmond — -Some  of  the  Boys 
Presented  with  Medals — Mustered  Out — Sent  Home — 
Memorial — Conclusion. 


CHAPTER  I. 


(1)  The  great  War  of  the  Rebellion  had  gone  on  for 
more  than  a year,  and  had  assumed  proportions  of  a grand 
scale,  dwarfing  any  other  ever  fought  on  this  continent, 
so  far  as  there  is  any  history;  in  fact,  making  all  other 
wars  on  this  side  of  the  ocean  appear,  by  comparison,  to 
be  Lilliputian  in  character ; and  so  far  as  the  magnitude  of 
its  theater  or  geographical  extent  was  concerned,  the 
greatest  war  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

(.2)  Previous  to  our  great  war  it  had  been  supposed 
that  modern  times  had  only  one  man  surely — possibly 
others — capable  of  efficiently  handling  a hundred  thou- 
sand men — Napoleon  Bonaparte.  But  this  mighty  con- 
flict was  developing  more  than  one  man  fully  able  to  com- 
mand that  number  of  men  in  action ; and  at  least  one  man 
capable  of  having  a general  supervision  over  fully  a mil- 
lion of  men  in  the  field.  W e were  exhibiting  to  the  world 
new  methods  of  warfare  both  on  land  and  sea,  and  show- 
ing it  that  we  had  the  most  effective  and  intelligent  sol- 
diers in  the  world. 

(3)  Several  hundred  thousand  men  had  been  called 
into  the  field,  armed  and  equipped.  Men  and  money  had 
been  lavishly  expended.  There  was  a willingness  on  the 
part  of  the  loyal  people  to  spend  the  last  dollar  and  fur- 
nish the  last  man,  if  they  could  see  any  evidence  of  pro- 
gress on  the  part  of  our  arms,  or  have  any  assurance  of 
final  success  in  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion. 

(4)  The  war  on  the  part  of  the  Government,  however, 
had  been  begun  with  an  entirely  inadequate  idea  of  the 
magnitude  of  the  undertaking.  It  is  well  known  that  one* 
high  in  the  councils  of  the  nation  had  predicted  before 
hostilities  actually  began  that  there  would  be  peace  in 
sixty  days,  and  even  the  good  President  seemed  to  think 


*Secretary  Seward. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


that  all  the  threatening  aspect  of  affairs  would  pass  away 
if  a little  time  were  allowed  for  the  passions  of  the  people 
to  cool.  There  seemed  to  be  a want  of  comprehension  on 
the  part  of  the  loyal  people  generally,  and  not  less  so  on 
the  part  of  those  holding  the  reins  of  government,  of  the 
terrible  earnestness  and  deadly  determination  of  those  who 
had  taken  up  arms  to  disrupt  the  Government. 

(5)  Hence  the  first  call  for  troops  to  cope  with  what 
was  to  prove  to  be  the  most  determined  and  formidable 
rebellion  recorded  in  history,  was  for  only  seventy-five 
thousand  men,  and  what  was  worse,  for  only  the  short 
terms  of  three  months,  as  though  the  suppression  of  the 
Rebellion  was  comparatively  a trivial  affair. 

(6)  There  was  some  reason,  however,  aside  from  the 
supposed  sufficiency  of  the  first  call  for  troops,  for  not 
calling  out  a greater  force,  namely,  the  lack  of  arms  and 
other  munitions  of  war ; but  this  excuse  could  not  be  of- 
fered for  the  deplorable  blunder,  which  all  now  can  see, 
of  making  the  term  of  the  first  enlistment  only  three 
months,  many  regiments’  time  expiring  when  they  were 
sorely  needed. 

(7)  In  the  outset  of  hostilities  and  actual  conflict  of 
arms,  there  was  a remarkable  lack  of  earnestness  and  the 
customary  severity,  which  is  generally  supposed  to  char- 
acterize grim-visaged  war,  shown  by  some  of  our  generals 
in  the  field.  In  some  instances  the  first  prisoners  were 
merely  sworn  to  not  take  up  arms  again  against  the  Gov- 
ernment and  then  let  go — “a  process,”  says  Greely  in  his 
American  Conflict,  “about  as  imposing  and  significant,  in 
their  view,  as  the  taking  of  a glass  of  cider.”  This  treat- 
ment of  prisoners  soon  became  a by-word  and  jeering  jest 
among  the  soldiers.  It  is  related  that  during  the  Three 
Months’  service,  when  a comrade  had  captured  a snake 
and  was  holding  it  up  by  the  tail,  a fellow  soldier  called 
out  to  him  to  swear  him  and  let  him  go. 

(8)  There  was  greate  tenderness,  too,  in  the  begin- 


2 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


ning  of  the  war,  shown  by  professed  friends  of  the  Union, 
for  the  people  of  those  States  which  assumed  to  be  out  of 
the  Union ; and  for  the  people  of  the  States  which  were 
nominally  within  the  Union,  yet  whose  loyalty  was  of  an 
exceedingly  questionable  kind,  as  was  manifested  by  their 
objecting  to  the  soldiers  of  our  country  marching  under 
our  common  flag,  setting  foot  upon  their  soil.  It  was 
alleged  by  these  professed  friends  that,  by  treating  the 
Rebels  with  severity,  the  people  of  the  seceded  States 
would  be  so  exasperated  thereby  that  all  hope  of  restoring 
the  Union  would  be  forever  destroyed.  Just  as  though 
they  were  not  already  inflamed  to  the  highest  pitch,  and 
enraged  to  the  last  degree,  when  a timid,  halting  policy 
of  being  afraid  of  hurting  them,  was  only  bringing  the 
Government  into  disrespect,  encouraging  the  enemy,  and 
making  more  Rebels  every  day ; and  when  a decided,  vig- 
orous course  toward  the  traitors  was  needed  to  sharply 
draw  the  line  between  the  enemies  and  friends  of  the  Gov- 
ernment. 

(9)  There  was  also  a halting,  half-hearted  policy 
shown  in  the  disposition  and  handling  of  the  eastern  army 
— a dissipation  of  its  strength  which  resulted  in  bringing 
only  little  more,  if  any  force,  on  the  Union  side,  than 
about  one-half  of  the  available  strength  in  the  first  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  fought  July  21st,  1861,  and  resulting  in  a 
humiliating  defeat,  which  defeat  had  the  effect  of  stimu- 
lating and  vitalizing  the  Rebellion  into  tremendous  vigor, 
and  giving  it  high  hope  and  great  energy. 

(10)  This  defeat  at  the  time  was  universally  regarded 
as  a great  calamity,  though  it  is  now  seen,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  it  necessitated  the  prolonging  of  the  war,  thereby 
compelling  more  extreme  and  radical  measures  for  the 
suppression  of  the  Rebellion,  and  consequently  making  a 
more  substantial  and  durable  peace,  that  that  reverse  to 
our  arms  was  a blessing  in  disguise. 

(11)  It  was  followed  by  the  calling  out  of  five  hundred 


3 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


thousand  more  troops,'  and  the  next  spring,  by  General 
McClellan’s  dilatory,  sluggish  and  worse  than  abortive 
attempt  to  take  Richmond  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  And  this  failure  of  this  magnificent  army 
tended  to  still  further  encourage  the  Rebellion.  At  the 
end  of  that  campaign  the  Rebels  were  as  full  of  the  spirit 
of  determination  and  as  sanguine  as  ever.  And  although 
some  substantial  progress  had  been  made  by  our  arms  in 
the  Southwest,  yet  the  results  of  the  war  so  far  were  not 
satisfactory,  nor  at  all  equal  to  the  great  expenditure  of 
men  and  money. 

(12)  Under  this  condition  of  affairs,  and  in  this 
exigency,  “Father  Abraham’’  called  on  Jusly  1st,  1862, 
not  for  “three  hundred  thousand  more,’’  but  for  six  hun- 
dred thousand  additional  soldiers.  And  it  was  in  response 
to  this  call  for  more  defenders  of  the  Union  that  the 
Twelfth  West  Virginia  enlisted  and  was  mustered  into 
service  along  with  the  other  reinforcements,  to  do  what  it 
might  to  keep  the  Old  Flag  aloft,  and  “that  government 
of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people  might  not 
perish  from  the  earth.” 

(13)  The  Twelfth  was  made  up  of  exceptionally  good 
material.  The  men  were  mainly  American  born  and  na- 
tive Virginians.  They  were  a hardy,  robust,  vigorous, 
self-reliant  class  of  men,  mainly  from  the  farming  dis- 
tricts, of  more  than  average  size,  many  of  them  mountain- 
eers. They  enlisted  under  trying  and  embarassing  cir- 
cumstances, and  in  great  measure  from  patriotic  impluses, 
their  surroundings  and  circumstances  in  many  cases  tend- 
ing to  lead  them  to  join  their  fortunes  with  the  Rebel 
cause.  It  was  a common  thing  for  a West  Virginia 
Union  soldier  to  have  friends  and  relatives  in  the  Rebel 
army,  and  in  some  cases  for  brother  to  fight  against 
brother. 

(14)  One  of  our  faithful  and  efficient  surgeons,  of  the 
Twelfth,  F.  H.  Patton,  now  having  the  important  and 


J 


4 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


responsible  position  of  being  in  charge  of  the  Soldiers’ 
Home  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  at  a reunion  at  Wheeling  in  1886 
paid  the  boys  of  the  Twelfth  the  compliment  of  relating 
that  he  was  sometimes  asked  why  it  was  that  there  were 
so  few  West  Virginia  soldiers  found  in  the  Soldiers’ 
Home  at  Dayton,  and  said  that  he  replied  to  that  question, 
that  the  boys  of  West  Virginia  were  a self-reliant  class 
of  men,  used  to  and  feeling  themselves  fully  capable  of 
looking  after  and  taking  care  of  themselves  during  the 
war,  and  that  he  thought  the  same  trait,  characterizing 
them  yet,  of  looking  out  for  themselves,  accounted  for  so 
few  West  Virginia  soldiers  being  found  in  soldiers’ 
homes. 

(15)  Another  incident  will  further  illustrate  the  char- 
acter of  the  men  of  this  regiment.  During  the  winter  of 
1864-5,  the  Tenth,  Eleventh,  Twelfth  and  Fifteenth  West 
Virginia  regiments,  along  with  some  other  regiments, 
were  sent  from  the  Valley  of  Virginia  to  the  Army  of  the 
James,  and  organized  into  a small  division,  General  T. 
M.  Harris,  commander.  This  division  was  afterward 
known  as  the  Independent  Division.  It  so  happened  that 
members  of  some  of  the  regiments  of  the  corps  to  which 
our  division  was  assigned  were  so  inclined  to  desert  to 
the  enemy  when  on  the  picket  line,  that  it  was  not  con- 
sidered safe  to  put  those  regiments  on  picket.  Shortly 
after  arrival,  General  Harris  was  asked  by  his  command- 
ing officer  if  he  would  be  responsible  for  his  men’s  desert- 
ing from  the  picket  line.  Harris  replied  that  he  would 
guarantee  that  not  a man  of  his  would  desert.  His  con- 
fidence was  not  misplaced.  The  men  were  put  on  picket 
and  not  a man  of  the  Twelfth  deserted.  The  same  is  true, 
it  is  believed,  of  the  other  regiments  of  Harris’s  com- 
mand. Of  course  the  Twelfth,  like  other  regiments,  had 
its  deserters ; but  that  class  was  long  since  weeded  out, 
and  those  left,  the  men  in  general,  were  determined  to 


5 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


stand  by  the  old  flag  to  the  end  of  their  enlistment.  They 
would  rather  die  than  desert. 

(16)  The  Regiment  was  made  up  from  the  counties 
named  bellow,  as  follows  : Cos.  A,  B and  C,  in  Marshall ; 
Co.  D,  in  Ohio  County ; Cos.  E and  G,  in  Harrison ; Co. 
F,  in  Marion;  Co.  H,  in  Taylor;  Co.  I,  in  Hancock,  and 
Co.  K,  in  Brooke  County. 

(17)  The  Twelfth  West  Virginia  Volunteer  Infantry 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  Service  August 
30th,  1862,  at  Camp  Willey  on  Wheeling  Island,  and 
the  organization  completed  as  follows : 


FIELD  AND  STAFF. 

(Mustered  in  August  30th.) 

Colonel — John  B.  Klunk Grafton 

Lieut.  Colonel — R.  S.  Northcott Clarksburg 

Major — F.  P.  PiERpont Harrisville 

Adjutant — Geo.  B.  Caldwell Wheeling 

Quartermaster — N.  U.  Thurber Moundsville 

Surgeon — J oh  n F rizzell Wheeling 

. , 0 (Dwight  RugglES  ....  Moundsville 

Assst.  Surgeons . . < 0 _ _ _ . 

^S.  P.  Bryan Limestone 

Chaplain — Thomas  H.  Trainer Moundsville 


NON-COMMISSIONED  STAFF. 


Sergeant  Major — Jas.  W.  Dunnington Fairmont 

Q.  M.  Sergeant — David  B.  Fleming Independence 

Com.  Sergeant — Wm.  A.  Scott Fairview 

Hospital  Steward — Charles  H.  Odbert Wheeling 

Principal  Musician — George  Hammond Grafton 

COMPANY  A. 

(Mustered  in  August  16th.) 

Captain  — Hager  Tomlinson Moundsville 

First  Lieut. — T.  S.  MagrudER Moundsville 

Second  Lieut. — William  Burley Moundsville 


Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 


6 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


COMPANY  B. 
(Mustered  in  August  20th.) 


Captain — Martin  P.  Bonar Rosby’s  Rock 

First  Lieut — Nathan  S.  Fish Rosby’s  Rock 

Second  Lieut. — John  C.  Roberts Moundsville 


Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 

COMPANY  C. 
(Mustered  in  August  23rd.) 


Captain — Erastus  G.  Bartlett Rosby’s  Rock 

First  Lieut. — Wm.  L.  Roberts Moundsville 

Second  Lieut — John  B.  Lydick Rosby’s  Rock 


Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 

COMPANY  D. 
(Mustered  in  August  25th.) 


Captain — W.  B.  Curtis West  Liberty 

First  Lieut. — Wm.  A.  Smiley West  Liberty 


Second  Lieut. — David  M.  BLANEY..West  Alexander,  Pa. 
Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 

COMPANY  F. 

(Mustered  in  August  26th.) 


Captain — Cornelius  Mercer Clarksburg 

First  Lieut. — Oscar  H.  Tate Clarksburg 

Second  Lieut. — Jas.  R.  Durham Clarksburg 


Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 

COMPANY  F. 
(Mustered  in  August  26th.) 


Captain — Amos  H.  Prichard Mannington 

First  Lieut. — Thos.  A.  Fleming Fairmont 

Second  Lieut. — Thos.  H.  Haymond Fairmont 


Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 

COMPANY  G. 

(Mustered  in  August  27th.) 

Ctpain — James  W.  Moffatt Shinnston 


7 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


First  Lieut. — Van  B.  Hall Shinnston 

Second  Lieut. — Elam  F.  Pigott Shinnston 

Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 

COMPANY  H. 

(Mustered  in  August  27th.) 

Captain — J.  H.  Bristor Grafton 

First  Lieut. — David  Powell Flemington 

Second  Lieut. — Thomas  H.  Means Grafton 

Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 

COMPANY  I. 

Captain — R.  H.  Brown Fairview 

First  Lieut.— John  H.  Melvin Fairview 

Second  Lieut. — Thos.  W.  Bradley.  . .New  Cumberland 
Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 

COMPANY  K. 

(Mustered  in  August  30th.) 

Captain — Thomas  White Wellsburg 

First  Lieut. — John  B.  Jester Wellsburg 

Second  Lieut. — J.  R.  BrennEman Wellsburg 

Five  Sergeants,  eight  Corporals. 


8 


CHAPTER  II. 


(18)  The  Regiment  did  not  remain  long  in  Camp 
Willey.  On  the  day  after  its  completed  organization  it 
was  ordered  to  Clarksburg,  W.  Va.,  which  place  was 
then  threatened  by  a force  under  the  Rebel  General,  Jen- 
kins, who  was  then  on  a raid  through  West  Virginia. 
Clarksburg  is  an  old  town,  the  county  seat  of  Harrison 
County,  situated  on  the  Baltimore  & Ohio  Railroad,  and 
distant  by  rail  122  miles  from  Wheeling.  Clarksburg 
will  be  remembered  by  the  great  abundance,  in  its  vicinity, 
of  blackberries  during  the  early  fall  of  that  year.  They 
were  so  plentiful  that  there  seemed  to  be  enough  for  the 
Twelfth  and  the  citizens  of  the  town,  too. 

(19)  The  regiment  arrived  by  rail  at  Clarksburg  Sep- 
tember 2nd,  and  on  that  day  a detachment  of  four  com- 
panies under  command  of  Lieut.  Col.  R.  S.  Northcott 
was  ordered  to  Beverly,  the  county  seat  of  Randolph 
County,  lying  in  a southeast  direction,  and  distant  from 
Clarksburg  60  miles.  The  detachment  arrived  at  Beverly 
September  5th.  This  place  is  a small  town  situated  on 
the  Tygarts  Valley  branch  of  the  Monongahela  River,  at 
the  western  base  of  Cheat  Mountain. 

(20)  The  remaining  six  companies  under  command  of 
Col.  John  B.  Klunk  were  ordered  September  4th  to 
Buckhannon,  W.  Va.,  the  county  seat  of  Upshur  County, 
distant  28  miles.  Buckhannon  is  pleasantly  situated  in 
apparently  a good  country. 

(21)  The  detachment  under  command  of  Col.  North- 
cott marched  from  Beverly  September  13th  for  Webster, 
Taylor  County,  distant  42  miles,  arriving  at  the  latter 
place  the  15th.  On  this  march  the  detachment  was  fol- 
lowed by  slaves,  some  half  dozen,  who  were  striking  for 
freedom,  saying  that  they  had  run  away  because  their 
master  had  threatened  to  sell  them.  They  seemed  to 
attach  themselves  to  Capt.  Brown’s  Company  (I),  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


appeared  inclined  to  remain  with  it  during  the  stay  at 
Webster.  One  or  two  of  these  slaves  were  nearly  white, 
and  some  of  the  boys  inclining  to  talk  to  and  hang  around 
them,  Capt.  Brown  concluded  to  get  rid  of  them ; so  in  a 
few  days  two  of  the  boys  going  to  Grafton,  a few  miles 
distant,  he  sent  them  with  the  boys. 

(22)  When  the  boys  got  to  Grafton,  a train  of  Ohio 
soldiers  was  about  to  start  for  Wheeling.  One  of  the 
boys  informed  the  colonel  of  the  presence  of  the  slaves 
and  their  story,  and  asked  him  if  he  would  take  them 
aboard  of  the  train.  He  refused  peremptorily.  It  looked 
blue  for  getting  them  off  in  that  way.  However,  the 
Twelfth  boys  in  passing  to  rear  of  the  train — a long 
freight — caught  sight  of,  as  it  appeared,  some  of  the 
non-commissioned  staff  in  the  rear  car.  They  were  told 
what  was  wanted.  One  of  them  having  an  eye  to  the 
main  chance,  wanted  to  know  how  much  money  would 
be  given  to  take  the  “darks”  on  board.  In  a few  moments 
some  money  was  paid,  the  Twelfth  boys  contributing  in 
part,  and  quickly  and  slyly  the  fugitives  were  hustled 
aboard;  and  a little  later  the  train  was  off.  They  were 
never  heard  of  afterward.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  however, 
that  the  sweets  of  freedom  were  not  a disappointment  to 
them. 

(23)  The  detachment  left  Webster  on  the  22nd  and 
marched  to  Clarksburg,  distant  18  miles,  arriving  there 
the  same  day.  It  remained  at  this  place  until  October  1st, 
when  it  marched  to  Buckhannon,  rejoining  the  other 
companies  there.  There  was  considerable  rejoicing  when 
the  boys  all  got  together  again.  In  fact,  the  detachment 
met  on  its  arrival  with  quite  an  ovation,  the  band  coming 
out  to  greet  it  with  stirring  martial  airs. 

(24)  The  regiment  remained  at  Buckhannon,  doing 
guard  and  picket  duty,  and  drilling  until  the  19th.  It 
was  at  this  place  that  a drill-master  appeared,  and  he  put 
the  regiment  through  quite  a course  of  drilling,  having 
it  out  every  day  practicing,  while  he  staid.  Among  the 


10 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


other  exercises,  he  practiced  the  regiment  considerably 
on  forming  a correct  equipment.  He  would  place  the 
Sergeants,  two  from  each  company,  in  a line,  say  ten  steps 
in  advance  of  the  regiment;  the  Colonel  or  the  Major 
would  then  march  the  men  forward  to  the  line  of  the 
Sergeants ; and  when  a particularly  good  alignment  was 
made  in  this  way,  the  drill-master  was  in  the  habit  of 
remarking,  to  the  amusement  of  the  boys,  “I  say,  Col- 
onel,” or  “I  say,  Major,  that  is  a capital  line.” 

(25)  It  is  remembered  that  more  than  half  of  the  com- 
panies, while  having  company  drill  at  this  time  and  place, 
would,  on  moving  by  different  flanks  on  the  march,  in 
marching  to  the  rear,  have  the  order  of  the  men  reversed, 
so  that  No.  1 was  on  the  place  of  No.  2,  and  vice  versa. 
But  it  was  never  observed  that  this  circumstance  in  any 
way  interfered  with  the  efficiency  with  which  the  boys 
afterward  moved  upon  the  enemy,  or  in  case  of  an  emerg- 
ency, with  the  celerity  with  which  they  could  “limber  to 
the  rear,”  as  one  boy  expressed  it.  A little  story,  as 
“Father  Abraham”  would  have  said,  relating  to  a later 
period  of  the  war,  will  perhaps  be  not  impertinent  in  this 
place. 

(26)  We  were  in  the  Valley  under  Gen.  Sheridan. 
The  Twelfth  and  Fourth  West  Virginia  Infantry,  under 
command  of  Lieut.  Col.  Northcott,  had  been  to  Martins- 
burg,  and  was  returning  to  the  camp  at  Cedar  Creek,  on' 
a four-days’  round  trip.  The  Battle  of  Cedar  Creek  was 
fought  while  we  were  on  the  return.  It  is  a matter  of 
history  that  the  Army  of  West  Virginia,  or  the  Eighth 
Corps,  was  surprised  in  that  battle.  It  was  attacked  be- 
fore daylight,  its  works  carried,  and  it  put  to  rout  almost 
before  it  knew  it.  The  men  not  captured  “fled  to  the  rear, 
as  the  only  thing  they  could  do.”  In  order  to  the  better 
appreciation  of  the  story,  it  may  be  well  to  say  that  Gen. 
Sheridan  had  employed  this  corps,  doubtless  on  account 
of  its  celerity  of  movement,  to  flank  the  enemy  at  both 
the  Battle  of  Opequon  and  the  Battle  of  Fisher’s  Hill. 


11 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


The  Twelfth  and  Fourth  reached  the  camp  at  Cedar 
Creek  with  a supply  train  on  the  forenoon  after  the  bat- 
tle. It  should  have  been  said  that  these  two  regiments 
belonged  to  the  Eighth  Corps.  Just  as  they  were  getting 
into  camp,  while  passing  some  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  one 
of  the  latter  yelled  out,  seemingly  in  allusion  to  the  for- 
mers flanking  movements,  and  its  rout  at  Cedar  Creek, 

“There  goes  some  of  that  d d Eighth  Corps.  They 

are  always  running  one  way  or  the  other!” 

(27)  On  the  19th  six  companies  under  command  of 
Col.  Klunk  marched  to  Beverly,  and  November  1st  they 
were  rejoined  there  by  the  other  four  companies.  At 
this  period  of  our  service  we  had  Sibley  tents,  which 
were  circular  in  form,  having  a center  pole,  and  a hole 
at  the  top  of  the  center  of  the  tent.  They  were  capable 
of  holding  about  sixteen  men.  We  had  tin-plates,  tin- 
cups,  knives  and  forks,  one  of  each  for  each  soldier,  and 
a camp-kettle  for,  -say  each  mess  of  ten  or  fifteen  men. 
We  had  also  a mess-box,  in  which  to  pack  the  plates,  etc., 
for  transportation.  When  in  camp  during  pleasant 
weather  the  boys  would  eat  in  the  open  air  on  tables 
erected  for  that  purpose.  In  fact,  there  was  considerable 
style  put  on  in  the  outset  of  the  regiment’s  service.  It 
took  time  to  pack  mess-boxes,  strike  tents  and  get  ready 
to  march.  It  took  six  wagons  to  carry  the  camp  equip- 
age. A large  army  having  a proportionate  number  of 
wagons  would  have  had  enough  to  seriously  embarass  it, 
and  it  might  be,  to  whip  it,  in  an  engagement.  Later  in 
the  war,  the  last  year  or  more,  the  camp  equipage  for  the 
men  was  reduced  to  a piece  of  shelter-tent  and  a tin-cup. 
This  was  a deprivation,  but  it  had  its  advantages,  for 
the  men  did  not  have  to  wait  on  the  wagons,  as  they  had 
to  do  sometimes  when  the  camp  equipage  was  hauled; 
but  they  could  pitch  their  tents  and  make  their  coffee 
whenever  and  wherever  they  stopped,  for  they  carried 
their  tents  and  tin-cups  in  which  to  make  their  coffee. 

(28)  At  the  time  of  this  second  march  to  Beverly,  the 


12 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


regiment  was  pretty  nearly  full,  not  having  been  reduced 
by  sickness  or  otherwise,  there  being  not  far  from  800 
men  present  for  duty,  and  it  made  rather  a formidable 
showing  on  the  route.  The  imperssion  that  it  made  at 
that  time  upon  a private  soldier,  as  to  its  formidableness, 
may  be  here  spoken  of.  “I  used  to  think,”  said  he  later 
in  the  war,  when  he  had  had  more  experience,  “that  when 
I would  take  a survey  of  our  regiment  on  the  march, 
from  some  point  on  the  route,  we  were  not  likely  to  meet 
any  enemy  that  could  withstand  us.”  This  shows  that  he, 
like  thousands  of  others,  who  were  under  a mistake  in  a 
less  degree  as  to  the  magnitude  of  the  Rebellion,  had  a 
ridiculously  inadequate  idea  of  the  numerical  strength  of 
the  enemy,  or  of  the  vastness  of  the  force  necessary  to 
overcome  it,  there  being,  if  not  just  then,  not  long  after- 
ward, the  equal  of  more  than  a thousand  such  regiments 
required  to  achieve  that  purpose. 

(2-9)  On  our  way  to  Beverly  we  passed  over  the  bat- 
tlefield of  Rich  Mountain,  the  first  view  we  had  of  the 
sad  havoc  of  war.  Quite  a number  of  Union  and  Rebel 
dead  were  buried  here  at  the  side  of  the  road.  It  was 
said  that  when  our  forces  drove  the  enemy  from  this 
position  they  found  a trench  dug  at  the  side  of  the  road 
over  which  this  inscription  was  placed : “TO  HOLD 
DEAD  YANKEES.”  But  the  trench  was  utilized  by 
filling  it  with  dead  Johnnys,  about  sixty  of  whom  were 
buried  here.  A few  of  our  men  belonging  to  Ohio  and 
Indiana  regiments  were  buried  in  the  corner  of  a garden 
nearby.  The  surrounding  trees  gave  evidence  of  the 
struggle  at  this  place. 

(30)  The  regiment  as  a whole  remained  at  Beverly 
only  a few  days.  The  stay  at  this  place  of  the  six  com- 
panies first  there  was  over  two  weeks.  The  Eighty-sev- 
enth Pennsylvania  Infantry  and  the  Ninth  West  Virginia 
Infantry  were  there  with  us  at  the  same  time.  The 
Eighty-seventh  and  the  Twelfth  were  camped  near  to- 
g-ether, a short  distance  north  of  of  the  town  on  the  bank 
© 7 


13 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


of  the  Tygart’s  Valley  River.  Col.  Hay  of  the  Eighty- 
seventh  was  a very  pleasant  man,  and  a good  tactician ; 
and  while  we  were  here  used  to  drill  the  Twelfth;  and  a 
friendship  sprang  up  between  his  boys  and  ours  that  was 
strengthened  and  never  lost  by  after  association  in  the 
same  brigade  or  division. 

(31)  While  we  were  at  this  town  an  unfortunate  oc- 
currence took  place.  A detail  of  the  Ninth  West  Vir- 
ginia was  on  guard  in  the  town  with  orders  to  not  allow 
any  soldiers  enter  it  without  a pass.  Some  of  the  Eighty- 
seventh  boys  undertook  to  force  past  the  guards,  when 
one  of  the  former  was  shot,  it  is  not  remembered  whether 
fatally  or  not.  When  the  news  of  the  shooting  came  to 
camp  there  was  a great  commotion,  like  that  of  a dis- 
turbed hive  of  bees,  in  the  camp  of  the  Eighty-seventh. 
The  boys  went  rushing  to  their  tents,  many  of  them 
from  the  river  where  they  were  washing  clothes,  to  get 
their  guns  to  avenge  the  shooting  of  their  comrade.  The 
aspect  of  things  looked  quite  threatening  for  awhile. 
Finally,  however,  the  officers  of  the  regiment  managed  to 
quiet  the  men  down,  and  further  trouble  was  prevented. 

(32)  Sergeant  Thomas  J.  Orr  of  Company  D thus  re- 
lates a couple  of  incidents  of  our  stay  at  Beverly : 

(33)  Provisions  being  a little  short,  our  larders  were 
sometimes  replenished  from  surrounding  flocks  and 
herds.  An  effort  in  .this  direction  came  near  being  at- 
tended with  serious  consequences.  Jake  McCormick  of 
Company  Iv  concluded  that  bull-beef  was  a great  deal 
better  than  no  beef ; so  he  and  a chosen  comrade  or  two 
walked  deliberately  down  to  the  river,  where  a herd  of 
cattle  was  quietly  grazing,  and  selecting  the  patriarch  of 
the  herd,  proceeded  to  extreme  measures  by  shooting  him 
to  death,  after  which  they  dispossessed  him  of  his  hide, 
quartered  and  divided  him  among  their  hungry  chums. 
Shortly  an  order  was  issued  for  Jake’s  arrest,  but  as  the 
whole  regiment  was  particeps  criminis,  the  authorities 


14 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


concluded  that  it  was  too  big  a contract,  and  Jake  es- 
caped punishment,  and  went  his  way  rejoicing. 

(34)  On  another  occasion  a fine  flock  of  sheep  was  re- 
ported a mile  or  two  down  the  river.  A squad  from  Com- 
pany D concluded  to  sample  the  mutton  of  that  part  of 
the  country.  Selecting  a fine  moonlight  night,  and  led  on 
by  Tegard  and  King,  who  located  the  flock,  they  soon 
arrived  at  the  objective  point.  But  here  a difficulty  arose 
that  they  had  not  anticipated.  How  would  they  get  the 
sheep  captured?  For  they  were  wild  as  deer.  After 
thinking  the  matter  over  and  discarding  many  proposed 
plans,  King,  who  stuttered,  said : “B-b-b-boys,  I have  it. 
Tegard  and  I will  go  down  to  the  lower  end  of  the  field, 
make  a gap  in  the  fence,  and  the  rest  of  you  drive  the 
sheep  through.  Tegard  and  I will  lie  down  just  inside  the 
gap  and  catch  our  sheep  as  they  go  through.”  This  being 
a feasible  plan,  the  boys  proceeded  to  carry  it  into  execu- 
tion. Tegard  and  King  laid  down  the  fence  and  laid 
themselves  down  just  inside,  to  await  coming  events,  or 
rather  the  coming  of  the  sheep.  They  had  not  long  to 
wait;  the  sheep,  frightened  by  the  other  boys,  made  a 
drive  for  the  gap  in  the  fence,  the  largest  and  strongest, 
of  course  in  the  van.  Now  here  was  where  the  fun  com- 
menced. King  was  greedy  and  concluded  that  one  would 
not  be  quite  enough  for  him ; so  he  grabbed  two  of  the 
first  that  came  through  by  the  legs.  Being  large  and 
strong,  they  dragged  him  a short  distance  from  the  fence, 
where  the  rest  of  the  flock  would  light  on  him  as  they 
jumped  through  the  gap.  King  held  on  to  the  mutton, 
but  he  was  a sorry  looking  King  when  he  got  straightened 
up.  And  an  inventory  being  taken  of  him,  it  stood  some- 
thing like  this 

G.  W.  King+two  sheep. 

G.  W.  King+two  black  eyes. 

G.  W.  Iving+countenance  demoralized  generally. 

G.  W.  King — cap,  coat  and  half  his  pants. 

(35)  After  dressing  three  sheep  the  boys  returned  to 


15 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


camp  in  safety.  But  it  was  fun  to  hear  King  tell  the  boys 
the  next  day  in  his  stuttering  way  how  he  got  his  black 
eyes. 

(36)  If  there  was  anything  a soldier  would  stake  his 
all  on,  it  was  on  something  good  to  eat;  and  this  further 
remark  is  ventured  while  on  this  subject:  that  there  were 
members  of  the  regiment  who  contented  themselves  with 
Government  rations,  but  if  any  article  of  food  was  placed 
before  them  not  found  in  “Uncle  Sam’s”  bill  of  fare,  they 
ate  what  was  put  before  them  , asking  no  questions  for 
conscience’s  sake. 

(37)  The  circumstance  of  the  killing  of  the  bull  is 
well  remembered,  and  it  is  not  forgotten  that  the  officers 
of  the  Twelfth,  accompanied  by  the  owner  of  the  bull, 
went  through  the  camp  pretending  to  search  the  tents  for 
that  bull-beef,  all  the  while  trying  to  assume  a serious 
face ; but  at  the  same  time  betraying  in  their  countenances 
a manifest  consciousness  that  the  whole  proceeding  was 
a glaring  farce.  They  did  not  want  very  much  to  find 
any  part  of  the  remains  of  the  defunct  bull.  In  fact,  the 
whole  performance  gave  the  impression  that  it  was  a vig- 
orous attempt  at  “how  not  to  do  it”  and  that  the  under- 
taking was  succeeding  admirably. 

(38)  Our  stay  at  Beverly  now  came  to  a close.  On 
November  5th  three  companies,  F,  D and  I,  with  a de- 
tachment of  the  Ringold  Cavalry,  a battalion  of  Pennsyl- 
vania troops  under  command  of  Major  Pierpoint  of  the 
Twelfth,  were  ordered  on  a scout  through  Pocahontas 
and  Bath  Counties,  by  way  of  Elkwater  and  Huntersville, 
to  Monterey,  the  county  seat  of  Highland  County,  W. 
Va.,  where  they  joined  the  other  companies  of  the  regi- 
ment, they,  the  latter,  having  started  from  Beverly  one 
day  late,  and  marched  a different  route,  through  Poca- 
hontas and  Pendleton  Counties,  under  command  of  Col. 
Klunk  , arriving  at  Monterey  on  the  9th. 

(39)  As  there  is  no  data  at  hand  regarding  events 
or  incidents  in  connection  with  the  seven  companies,  on 


16 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


this  expedition  to  Monterey,  the  account  given  will  relate 
exclusively  to  the  three  companies  under  command  of 
Major  Pierpoint. 

(40)  On  this  scout  the  detachments  of  the  three  com- 
panies and  the  small  cavalry  force,  traversed  a section  of 
country  where  Yankees  had  not  been  seen  before.  The 
opportunities  for  foraging  here  were  good,  and  the  boys 
improved  them.  One  day  an  incident  occurred  that  gave 
an,  intimation  of  the  licentiousness  and  hardships  of  war. 
A citizen  was  met  in  the  road.  He  wore  a fur  overcoat 
made  of  coonskin,  and  one  of  the  cavalry  men  made  him 
take  it  off  and  surrender  it  to  him.  The  citizen  passed  on 
minus  his  overcoat,  and  in  a predicament  that  should  have 
enabled  him  to  realize,  in  some  measure,  the  beauties  of 
secession. 

(41)  Camp  was  made  one  night  at  a place  called 
Mingo  Flats.  While  here  a laughable  affair  occurred,  for 
the  relating  of  which  as  follows  Sergeant  Orr  is  drawn 
upon  once  more : 

(42)  There  was  not  house  room  for  all  the  command, 
so  Company  F and  part  of  each  of  the  other  two  com- 
panies, D and  I,  went  into  a meadow  where  there  was  a 
bunch  of  hay  stacks.  The  men  took  the  fence  from  around 
the  stacks,  and  built  square  pens  four  or  five  rails  high, 
leaving  the  side  next  the  fire  open.  Then  filling  the  pen 
up  with  hay  they  placed  rails  over  the  top,  and  covered 
all  with  hay,  making  excellent  quarters  for  ten  or  a 
dozen  boys. 

(43)  Capt.  Prichard  of  Company  F,  and  Lieut.  Melvin 
of  Company  I,  were  both  with  this  squad.  The  former 
was  very  much  opposed  to  foraging;  while  the  latter 
didn’t  care  whether  school  kept  or  not,  so  they  didn’t 
bother  him  too  much,  and  he  got  enough  to  eat.  There 
was  also  in  this  squad  a character  of  Company  I we 
called  “Nosey.”  Now  it  happened  that  there  was  a drove  <■ 
of  calves  in  the  meadow.  And  after  we  had  our  quarters 
prepared  and  fires  built,  some  of  the  boys  were  peering 


17 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


around  to  see  if  there  was  anything  in  view  appropriable. 
Among  the  number  was  “Nosey,”  who  spied  the  drove  of 
calves.  Visions  of  fresh  veal  at  once  began  to  dance 
through  his  brain.  With  “Nosey”  to  think  was  to  act. 
He  made  at  once  for  the  calves,  selected  his  veal,  grabbed 
it  by  the  tail,  and  then  the  circus  began.  The  calf  was 
large  and  strong,  but  “Nosey”  had  a splendid  hold.  The 
calf  broke  for  the  fires  at  a 2 :40  gait,  “Nosey”  keeping  on 
his  feet  as  best  he  could.  Capt.  Prichard,  hearing  the 
racket,  drew  his  “cheese-knife,”  and  ran  out  to  intercept 
the  culprit,  whoever  he  might  be.  The  first  thing  he  saw 
was  “Nosey”  and  his  calf  coming  at  full  speed,  whom  he 
grafted  with  “Hold  on,  there!  Hold  on  there!”  “Nosey” 
replied : “I  will,  by .”  Just  then  a member  of  Com- 

pany D,  catching  on,  snatched  an  ax  and  relieved  the 
breathless  “Nosey”  by  tapping  the  calf  gently  on  the  head. 
We  had  veal  for  supper. 

(44)  On  the  second  day  out  we  passed  over  the  Elk- 
water  battlefield,  where  the  Rebel  Col.  John  A.  Washing- 
ton was  killed.  At  Huntersville  we  surprised  a number 
of  Johnnys,  who  were  sleeping  off  heavy  potations  of 
apple-jack,  and  took  them  along  as  prisoners,  passing,  on 
our  way,  up  Knap’s  Creek  Valley  in  Pocahontas  County, 
a section  of  country  of  rich  farm  land,  abounding  in  fine 
cattle  and  horses.  It  was  a fine  and  amusing  sight  to  see 
Acting  Quarter  Master  Lieut.  Bradley  of  Company  I 
sailing  over  the  broad  meadows  on  horseback,  endeavor- 
ing to  capture  the  splendid  horses  grazing  on  the  luxur- 
iant pastures  there.  Some  of  the  horses  were  too  fleet  to 
be  captured,  and  maintained  their  freedom. 

(45)  The  boys  fared  well  on  this  raid,  getting  milk, 
honey,  apples,  etc.,  in  abundance.  The. apples  were  buried 
in  holes,  as  is  frequently  done  with  potatoes.  And  it  was 
a laughable  sight  to  see  the  boys  fairly  tumbling  over  each 
other,  and  almost  standing  on  their  heads,  as  they  dived 
into  the  apple  holes,  trying  to  not  get  left  in  their  at- 
tempts at  getting  a fair  share  of  the  apples. 


18 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


(46)  Sergeant  Orr  has  the  floor  once  more  for  the 
narration  of  an  incident  said  to  have  occurred  here,  for 
the  truth  of  which,  however,  he  does  not  vouch.  He  tells 
it  thus : 

(47)  "Two  men  of  the  expedition  went  into  a house  to  get  something  to  eat. 
It  happened  that  the  male  folks  were  all  away  from  home,  as  was  generally  the 
case  in  that  section  when  the  Yanks  were  about,  leaving  only  two  single  ladies  of 
uncertain  age  in  charge  of  the  premises.  When  our  two  Yanks  made  their  appear- 
ance, the  two  ladies  became  frantic  with  terror;  and  holding  up  their  hands  exclaim- 
ed, ‘Take  our  money,  take  everything  we  have,  but  do  not  harm  us  personally’! 
‘You  personally  be  damned,'  said  the  Yanks,  ‘have  you  any  corn-bread?’  That 
soothed  them.” 

(48)  On  this  raid  of  the  three  companies  we  captured 
60  head  of  horses  and  mules,  300  head  of  cattle,  41  pris- 
oners and  a wagon  load  of  fine  butter  on  its  way  to 
Staunton,  Va.  The  owner  of  the  butter  was  sent  to 
Camp  Chase.  Where  the  bulk  of  the  butter  went  is  not 
known,  but  the  boys  made  use  of  some  of  it. 

(49)  We  arrived  at  Monterey  on  the  night  of  the  9th, 
rejoining  here  the  other  seven  companies,  as  before  stated, 
which  had  accompanied  an  expedition  under  command 
of  Gen.  R.  H.  Milroy,  to  this  point.  The  regiment  re- 
mained here  but  one  day,  when  we  started  on  our  return, 
by  way  of  Crab  Bottom,  resting  one  day  there  in  the  old 
Rebel  winter  quarters.  We  resurned  our  march  on  the 
morning  of  the  13th,  by  way  of  Franklin,  the  county  seat 
of  Pendleton  County;  thence  by  way  of  Circleville  and 
Hunting  Ground  Mountain,  back  to  Tygart’s  Valley 
River,  five  miles  below  Beverly,  our  starting  point. 

(50)  A sad  accident  occurred  while  crossing  the  moun- 
tain. A member  of  the  Eighty-seventh  Pennsylvania, 
who  was  along  with  the  expedition,  was  accidentally  shot 
by  a comrade.  His  comrades  attempted  to  carry  him,  but 
they  could  not  do  so,  and  they  were  compelled  to  bury 
him  on  the  lonely  mountain,  using  their  bayonets  to  dig 
his  grave. 

(51)  Leaving  our  camp  below  Beverly,  we  marched 
to  Webster,  on  the  Parkersburg  branch  of  the  Baltimore 


19 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


& Ohio  Railroad,  where  we  arrived  on  the  18th,  marching 
a distance  of  238  miles  in  fourteen  days  during  the  most 
inclement  season  of  the  year,  fording  mountain  streams, 
swollen  by  melting  snow  and  rain,  many  of  the  men  bare- 
footed, and  the  roads  half  knee-deep  with  mud.  It  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at  that  many  of  the  men  succumbed  to  this 
severe  ordeal,  and  were  candidates  for  the  hospital  on  our 
arrival  at  Webster. 

(52)  One  more  incident  of  this  raid  will  perhaps  bear 
relating.  Some  of  the  boys  took  the  measles  on  the 
route.  On  the  return  to  Beverly  a sergeant  was  sent  in 
charge  of  an  ambulance  containing  four  sick  boys,  some- 
thing in  advance  of  the  regiment,  and  over  a different 
route,  it  is  believed,  from  that  taken  by  it.  One  evening, 
the  second  out,  perhaps,  after  ascending  and  descending 
Cheat  Mountain,  the  driver  halted  the  ambulance  just  at 
its  base  on  the  west  side,  where  there  was  a hotel. 

(53)  Now  it  happened  that  Gen.  Milroy  and  his  Ad- 
jutant General,  Capt.  McDonald,  if  his  name  is  not  mis- 
taken, were  going  to  put  up  at  that  hotel.  The  boys  be- 
ing quite  sick,  the  Sergeant  spoke  to  the  landlord  to  pro- 
cure beds  for  them.  He  seemed  reluctant  to  comply  with 
the  request,  and  perhaps,  to  baffle  the  Sergeant,  he  told 
him  to  see  Capt.  McDonald  about  the  matter,  saying  it 
would  be  just  as  the  Captain  said. 

(54)  It  often  is  the  case  that  a man  holding  an  inferior 
rank  or  position  assumes  an  air  of  more  importance,  and 
more  of  “the  insolence  of  office,”  than  do  his  superiors. 
This  Captain  was  no  exception  to  this  rule.  In  fact,  he 
was  a specimen  of  the  type  of  fellows  represented  by  the 
fellow  who  was  “a  bigger  [sic]  man  than  old  Grant.” 
So  when  the  Sergeant  spoke  to  him  regarding  the  getting 
of  the  beds,  he  put  on  a forbidding  and  repellant  air  and 
said  sarcastically  that  “he  was  not  quarter-master.”  The 
Sergeant  replied  with  somewhat  of  offended  dignity  that 
he  would  not  have  come  to  him  at  all,  only  that  the  land- 
lord had  referred  him,  the  Sergeant,  to  him,  the  Captain. 


20 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


(55)  Here  Gen.  Milroy  spoke  up  in  a courteous  and 
considerate  manner,  quite  in  contrast  with  that  of  the 
Captain,  saying  “We  do  not  assume  to  have  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  landlord’s  beds ; they  are  entirely  at  his  own 
disposal.  As  for  myself,  I can  sleep  on  the  floor.”  The 
Sergeant,  being  thus  left  to  his  own  resources,  secured 
those  beds  for  the  sick  boys. 

(56)  The  regiment  left  Webster  on  the  19th,  going 
over  the  Baltimore  & Ohio  Railroad  to  New  Creek,  in 
Hampshire  County,  West  Virginia,  distance  89  miles, 
arriving  there  the  same  day.  There  were  other  troops 
besides  the  Twelfth.  One  of  the  regiments  of  these  was 
the  Twenty-third  Illinois  Infantry,  Col.  Mulligan’s  regi- 
ment. This  command  was  made  up  almost  if  not  entirely 
of  men  of  Irish  birth.  Mulligan  himself  being  of  that 
nationality.  He  was  a fine,  tall,  erect  man,  with  a military 
air,  and  a general  mien  and  bearing  that  would  attract 
attention  anywhere.  For  this  reason,  and  because  of  his 
national  reputation,  no  doubt,  and,  it  may  be,  the  circum- 
stance that  he  wore  a green  shirt,  he  attracted  considerable 
attention  from  our  boys. 

(57)  As  the  weather  was  now  pretty  cold,  and  severe 
winter  was  approaching ; and  as  ‘we  had  established  a 
camp  here  with  regularly-laid-out  streets,  it  looked  as 
though  we  might  winter  here.  But  we  staid  here  only 
three  weeks.  On  the  11th  of  December  our  regiment 
marched  by  way  of  Burlington  and  Petersburg  to  Moore- 
field,  the  county  seat  of  Hardy  County. 

(58)  On  the  march  to  this  place  Lieut.  Col.  Northcott, 
stopping  at  a house  on  the  way  between  Petersburg  and 
Moorefield  and  getting  thus  behind  the  command,  was 
taken  prisoner  by  a Rebel  scout.  One  of  our  scouts,  how- 
ever, followed  the  Rebel  and  his  prisoner,  and  recaptured 
the  Colonel,  after,  it  was  said,  a severe  hand-to-hand 
fight,  in  which  each  scout  surrendered  alternately,  the 
Union  scout  coming  out  final  victor. 


21 


nr'.v.' jls  t* 


CHAPTER  III. 


(59)  At  Moorefield  the  Twelfth  was  assigned  to  Gen. 
Cluseret’s  brigade  of  Milroy’s  division,  and  on  the  17th 
Gen.  Cluseret  started  on  an  expedition  to  Strasburg,  Va., 
the  Twelfth  being  part  of  his  command.  We  marched 
26  miles  the  first  day,  camping  on  Lost  River,  four  miles 
from  Wordensville.  That  night  was  cold  and  stormy. 
The  wind  blew  so  that  it  made  the  soldiers’  blankets  flap 
as  they  lay  under  them  trying  to  get  a little  sleep,  and  it 
was  so  cold  that  in  some  cases  they  had  to  get  up  in  the 
night  to  go  to  the  large  fires  they  had  made  to  get  warm. 
That  night  it  froze  so  hard  that  the  creek  was  frozen  so 
as  to  bear  up  a horse,  but  not  quite  the  artillary.  There 
was  some  difficulty  in  getting  it  over  the  creek.  It  was  to 
this  bleak  and  inhospitable  place  that  the  eccentric  genius, 
“Barney”  Wiles  of  Company  D,  alluded  when  he  spoke 
of  “the  place  where  fire  froze  and  turkeys  chewed  to- 
bacco.” 

(60)  The  second  day  the  command  marched  through 
Wordensville  to  Capon  Springs,  18  miles,  encamping 
there  for  the  night  in  the  Mountain  House,  a magnificent 
building  of  410  well  finished  rooms,  situated  right  in  the 
midst  of  rather  a dense  forest.  Owing  to  the  torturous 
mountain  roads  we  were  close  to  this  building  before  ob- 
serving it.  Making  a sharp  turn  in  the  road,  its  grand 
proportions  flashed  upon  us  suddenly,  as  if  by  magic. 
The  water  in  these  springs  is  quite  warm,  and  much 
steam  was  arising  from  it  that  cold  weather. 

(61)  We  had  good  quarters  that  night,  having  nice 
mattresses  on  which  to  sleep.  But  we  had  to  get  up  very 
early  in  the  morning  to  resume  our  march  to  Strasburg. 
Surgeon  Bryon  of  the  Twelfth,  in  a half-jocular  and  half- 
earnest way,  protested  against  getting  up  so  early,  say- 
ing “It’s  not  the  ideal  thing,  and  I don’t  believe  in  it — this 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


thing  of  getting  up  at  midnight  to  stuff  victuals  and  start 
out  on  a Rebel  hunt.” 

(62)  After  “stuffing  victuals”  we  pushed  out  for 
Strasburg,  a distance  of  18  miles,  where  the  Rebel  Gen. 
Jones  was,  with  a small  force,  which  retired  before  the 
advanc  of  Cluseret’s  brigade,  leaving  only  his  rear-guard 
to  skirmish  with  the  advance,  as  it  entered  the  town. 

(63)  Gen.  Cluseret  was  a spirited,  dashing  French- 
man, who  afterward  figured  prominently  in  belligerent 
affairs  in  Paris,  after  its  evacuation  by  the  Prussians,  in 
the  late  Eranco-Prussian  War.  And  it  was  a picturesque 
sight  to  see  him  in  his  corduroy  pantaloons,  on  nearing 
the  town,  dashing  ahead  of  the  infantry  with  a very  small 
body-guard,  while  some  skirmishing  was  going  on  with 
the  cavalry.  Some  prisoners  were  taken  here. 

(64)  On  nearing  Strasburg  we  got  our  first  sight  of 
the  far-famed  Shenandoah  Valley,  which  had  already 
been  the  scene,  so  far  in  the  war,  of  some  bloody  battles, 
and  was  destined  to  be  the  scene  of  some  far  more  bloody. 
And  at  the  same  time  we  got  our  first  view  of  the  no  less 
famed  Blue  Ridge. 

(65)  We  camped  at  Strasburg  that  night.  This  was 
a small  town  of  quite  ancient  appearance,  situated  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  North  Branch  of  the  Shenandoah  River, 
and  at  the  base  of  the  Massanutten  Mountain,  lying  to 
the  south.  The  next  day  the  command  marched  six  miles 
to  Middletown.  We  remained  here  untill  the  24th. 

(66)  Our  movement  from  Moorefield  had  been  a rapid 
one,  and  all  subsistence  and  camp  equipage  had  been  left 
behind,  except  what  the  men  could  carry.  So  we  had,  in 
part,  while  at  Middletown,  to  live  off  the  country,  regu- 
lar foraging  details  being  sent  out  for  the  purpose  of  get- 
ting subsistence,  which  were  fairly  successful.  And  we 
had  to  extemporize  such  quarters  as  best  we  could,  while 
staying  at  Middletown.  We  built  up  rail-pens,  filling 
them  in  and  covering  them  over  with  straw  for  quarters. 


24 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


They  answered  very  well  for  that  purpose,  as  the  weather 
was  then  quite  fine  for  that  season  of  the  year. 

(67)  On  the  24th  the  command  marched  to  Winches- 
ter, Va.  For  a little  while,  until  our  tents  arrived,  we  oc- 
cupied the  abandoned  Rebel  winter  quarters  at  that  place, 
made  of  cedar  brush.  It  appeared  that  when  the  Johnnys 
vacated  their  quarters  they  were  not  entirely  abandoned — 
we  found  other  occupants  of  them.  It  was  here  that  we 
made  our  first  acquaintance  with  “grey-backs.”  We 
found  them  companions  whose  acquaintance  was  hard  to 
cut.  They  seemed  to  be  no  respectors  of  persons.  It  was 
not  an  uncommon  sight  to  see  a Colonel  with  his  shirt  off 
looking  industriously  for  the  little  enemy,  just  the  same 
as  though  the  said  Colonel  were  a fellow  of  low  degree. 
As  Artemas  Ward  would  perhaps  have  said,  he,  the 
“grey-back,”  was  a “little  cuss,”  who  seemed  to  love  war 
against  the  human  species  for  its  own  sake,  not  caring  a 
continental  whether  he  attacked  a Union  soldier  or  a Reb. 

(68)  When  the  regiment  started  on  the  raid  by  way 
of  Strasburg,  a part  of  it  was  left  behind  at  Moorefield. 
This  detail  of  about  75  men,  and  about  the  same  number 
of  the  Tenth  West  Virginia  Infantry,  the  latter  under 
command  of  Capt.  Darnell  of  the  latter  regiment,  and  the 
whole  under  command  of  Capt.  J.  W.  Moffatt  of  Com- 
pany G of  the  Twelfth,  struck  tents  and  started  for  Win- 
chester with  a wagon  train  of  supplies  for  Cluseret’s  com- 
mand, leaving  Moorefield  the  28th.  At  Wordensville, 
four  miles  out,  they  were  attacked  by  Rebel  cavalry.  The 
Wheeling  Intelligencer  of  June  — , 1865,  in  a sketch  of 
the  history  of  the  Twelfth,  said  of  this  affair:  “They 
were  attacked  by  about  300  of  Imboden’s  cavalry,  and, 
notwithstanding  the  largely  superior  force  of  the  enemy, 
Capt.  Moffat  repulsed  them  handsomely,  driving  them  sev- 
eral miles,  and  conducted  the  train  safely  to  Gen.  Cluseret 
at  Winchester.” 

(69)  The  Intelligencer’s  statement  regarding  this  af- 
fair is  not  strictly  correct,  for  the  Rebels  captured  52 


25 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 

horses  from  the  train.  No  blame  attaches  to  Capt.  Mof- 
fatt,  however,  as  he  was  a brave  and  faithful  officer. 

(70)  After  this  attack  and  repulse  Capt.  Moffatt  and 
his  train-guard  had  no  further  trouble.  On  the  route 
they  crossed  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac,  passed 
through  Romney,  crossed  Lost  River,  passed  through 
Blue  Gap,  crossed  Capon  River,  and  on  the  fifth  day  out, 
January  1st,  1863,  arrived  at  Winchester,  the  train-guards 
of  the  Twelfth  rejoining  here  their  regiment.  This  was 
the  day  on  which  the  President’s  Emancipation  Procla- 
mation was  to  take  effect,  but  strange  to  say  the  colored 
people  of  Winchester  seemed  utterly  ignorant  of  the  fact 
that  there  was  such  a thing  as  any  proclamation  of  free- 
dom. 

(71)  One  was  struck  with  the  number  of  colored  peo- 
ple in  this  town  with  white  blood  in  them.  They  were  of 
all  shades  of  color,  from,  say  half  white  to  nearly  white. 
An  incident  in  this  connection  is  perhaps  deserving  of  a 
place.  After  we  had  been  in  Winchester  for  some  time, 
and  had  begun  to  get  a little  acquainted,  Surgeon  Bryan 
of  the  Twelfth  one  day  got  into  a conversation  with  a 
lady  of  the  city,  and,  pertinent  to  the  subject  of  the  con- 
versation, remarked  that  he  could  scarcely  distinguish  the 
negroes  from  the  wihtes. 

(72)  “How  is  that,”  inquired  the  lady,  “are  the  white 
people  so  dark  ?” 

(73)  “Oh,  no;”  he  replied,  “it  is  not  that  the  whites 
are  so  dark,  but  that  the  blacks  are  so  white.” 

(74)  To  go  back  a little,  some  skillful  maneuvers  by 
Gen.  Cluseret,  shortly  after  his  arrival  at  Winchester  from 
Strasburg,  should  be  mentioned.  One  day  there  seemed 
to  be  some  signs  of  an  attack  by  Gen.  Sam  Jones.  And 
it  appeared  as  though  our  General  wished  to  avoid,  at  that 
time,  an  attack  from  the  enemy ; so  he  moved  the  bulk  of 
his  brigade,  consisting  in  all  of  about  2,500  men,  over  a 
ridge  to  the  north,  a half  mile  distant,  out  of  sight;  then 
he  brought  them  in  view  again,  on  the  ridge  several  hun- 


26 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


dred  yards  to  the  right,  marched  them  along  the  southern 
slope  of  the  ridge,  and  passed  over  it  out  of  sight,  at  the 
same  place  as  before.  Thus  making  it  appear  that  two 
columns  had  crossed  the  ridge  instead  of  one. 

(75)  This  maneuver  was  calculated  to  deceive  the 
enemy  if  he  viewed  it  from  a distance,  for  some  of  our 
own  men  looking  on  from  a distance,  thought  we  were 
getting  reinforcements.  Some  of  the  citizens  of  the  town 
remarked  afterward,  it  was  said,  that  they  thought  that 
Gen.  Cluseret’s  strategic  handling  of  his  brigade  on  that 
occasion  was  well  done. 

(76)  Winchester  at  the  time  of  our  occupancy  of  it  was 
a rather  pretty  old  town  pleasantly  situated,  and  of  about 
6,000  inhabitants.  It  was  a place  of  historic  associations, 
among  which  may  be  named  the  fact  that  it  was  the  burial 
spot  of  Gen.  Daniel  E.  Morgan  of  Revolutionary  fame, 
and  it  was  destined  to  have  still  further  historic  associa- 
tions. 

(77)  The  citizens  were  almost  universally  disloyal; 
and  the  women  especially  took  particular  pains,  on  our 
coming  among  them,  to  show  their  hostility  toward,  and 
aversion  for,  the  Yankess,  by  pulling  their  veils  over  their 
faces  on  passing  the  men  on  the  street,  and  other  like 
demonstrations.  But  time  and  association  have  their  in- 
fluence, and  after  awhile  these  manifestations  of  dislike 
and  enmity  almost  entirely  ceased.  In  fact,  on  entering 
their  houses  the  women  would  treat  you  courteously,  and 
in  some  instances,  it  is  remembered,  that  they  used,  in  a 
half  pleasant,  half  tantalizing  way,  to  sing  for  and  at  us 
their  Rebel  songs,  such  as  “The  Bonny  Blue  Flag,”  etc., 
and  then  apologetically  ask  us  to  not  be  offended  at  their 
doing  so. 

(78)  The  women  here  were  notably  handsome  and 
fine  looking,  so  much  so  as  to  be  the  subject  of  remark 
among  our  soldiers  to  that  effect.  A little  incident  may 
be  here  pertinently  given.  There  was  an  old  colored 
woman  in  the  town,  who  used  to  work  for  the  boys.  On 


27 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


one  occasion  there  was  an  allusion  by  some  of  them,  in 
her  presence,  to  the  fact  that  there  was  a general  concur- 
rence of  opinion  among  both  officers  and  men  that  the 
white  women  of  Winchester  were  quite  handsome.  The 
old  colored  woman  did  not  quite  relish  this  compliment 
to  the  white  women,  and  said  that  if  they  were  hand- 
some in  appearance  they  were  not  pretty  in  disposition, 
adding,  “Indeed,  honey,  they  could  just  cut  your  hearts 
out.”  Perhaps  it  was  not  without  reason  that  this  negress 
entertained  this  opinion. 

(79)  There  were  more  than  1,000  Rebel  dead  buried 
here,  many  of  whom  had  been  wounded  at  the  Battle  of 
Antietam,  and  died  of  their  wounds  at  this  place. 

(80)  This  post  was  destined  to  be  our  winter  quarters 
for  the  remainder  of  the  winter.  We  spent  the  time  here 
in  guard,  picket  and  fatigue  duty,  the  latter  duty  being  in 
part,  work  on  the  fortifications ; and  in  drilling,  target 
practice,  and  an  occasional  scout,  filling  in  the  interims 
growling,  playing  cards,  corresponding,  reading  the  pa- 
pers, and  occasionally  talking  on  politics  and  disputing 
about  the  Emancipation  Proclamation.  Something  about 
this  last  matter  will  be  mentioned  further  along. 

(81)  The  arrival  of  the  mail  was  always  looked  for- 
ward to  with  especial  anxiety  and  interest  by  the  boys. 
So  eager  were  they  to  hear  the  news  from  home,  some  of 
the  men  in  some  of  the  companies,  who  could  not  write, 
inducing  others  to  help  them  in  their  efforts,  so  applied 
themselves  to  learning  to  write  that  they  were  enabled  to 
do  their  own  corresponding  before  the  war  was  over.  The 
army  was  in  this  particular,  as  well  as  in  some  others,  a 
good  school  for  some  of  the  boys. 

(82)  Citizens  used  to  come  into  camp  at  this  place  to 
sell  pies,  cakes,  etc.,  to  the  soldiers,  and  the  boys  would 
sometimes  cheat  them  shamefully.  In  one  instance  at 
least,  a soldier  passed  a label  taken  from  a bottle  of  Perry 
Davis’s  Pain-killer  for  money.  Where  a peddler  of  pies 
could  not  read  and  the  boys  paid  in  scrip  they,  in  making 


28 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


change,  would  very  likely  take  more  money  than  they 
gave.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  in  view  of  the  sim- 
plicity and  lack  of  intelligence  on  the  part  of  many  of  the 
whites  of  the  South,  that  they  manifested  the  ignorance 
they  did,  implied  in  the  question  “What  are  you  alls  com- 
ing down  here  to  fight  we  alls  for?” 

(83)  Even  the  citizens  of  apparently  general  intelli- 
gence seemed  to  have  very  hazy  ideas  of  the  real  nature 
of  the  war.  On  one  occasion  a lady  of  Winchester,  who 
did  not  seem  to  be  of  the  ignorant  class,  asked  the  ques- 
tion, “How  long  do  you  intend  to  carry  on  the  war 
against  us?”  and  when  told  that  the  war  would  be  pros- 
ecuted until  the  people  of  the  South  submitted  to  the 
authority  of  the  United  States,  she  seemed  to  regard  the 
idea- with  horror  and  repugnance,  and  as  a thought  not  to 
be  entertained  for  a moment,  throwing  up  her  hands  and 
exclaiming  “Oh ! Oh !” 

(84)  Possibly  this  lady’s  conception  of  the  war,  and 
that  of  thousands  of  others  in  the  South,  was  that  it  was 
a fight  to  satisfy  a spite  or  grudge,  and  after  a sufficient 
revenge  should  be  taken  the  war  would  stop.  They 
seemed  to  have  very  little  idea  of  the  deep  devotion  to  the 
old  flag,  on  the  part  of  the  Union  soldiers,  and  the  loyal 
citizens  generally,  that  made  them  willing  to  stand  by  it 
at  any  sacrifice;  and  perhaps  no  understanding  of  the  de- 
mands of  the  future  welfare  of  the  nation,  requiring  the 
maintenance  of  the  Union,  and  appealing  to  all  Unionists 
to  fight  the  war  to  a successful  issue,  if  it  was  among 
human  possibilities. 

(85)  Our  present  occupancy  of  Winchester  continued 
for  three  months.  During  that  time  little  of  important 
interest  took  place.  The  cavalry  here  had  some  brushes 
with  the  Rebel  cavalry.  On  one  or  two  occasions  some 
Pennsylvania  cavalry  (either  the  Twelfth  or  Thirteenth) 
was  sent  down  the  valley  from  the  direction  of  Stras- 
burg,  pell-mell  into  Winchester  by  the  Rebel  cavalry,  some 


29 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


of  the  former,  in  one  instance  at  least,  losing  their  hats 
in  their  hasty  retreat. 

(86)  A reference  to  a diary  kept  by  one  of  the  boys, 
under  date  of  February  27th,  says  that  on  that  day  our 
cavalry  had  an  engagement  with  the  Rebel  cavalry  ten 
miles  out  on  the  Strasburg  road,  in  which  our  force  was 
rather  worsted,  losing  about  200  men. 

(87)  During  March  we  received  some  reinforcements, 
three  regiments  and  a twelve-gun  battery  of  Regulars. 
On  March  the  17th  the  voters  of  the  West  Virginia  troops 
marched  to  the  nearest  point  of  that  proposed  State,  to 
vote  on  the  question  of  the  adoption  of  the  constitution. 

(88)  On  the  27th  we  struck  tents  and  marched  to 
Berryville,  about  ten  miles  distant.  This  was  a small 
town,  on  the  road  to  Harpers  Ferry,  and  near  the  Shen- 
andoah River.  Two  days  later  two  regiments,  the  Sixth 
Maryland  and  the  Sixty-seventh  Pennsylvania  Infantry, 
reinforced  us  at  this  place. 

(89)  There  were  gueirillas,  whose  retreat  was  just 
across  the  Shenandoah  River  in  the  Blue  Ridge,  that  were 
very  bold  and  annoying  at  this  place,  frequently  firing  on 
the  outposts.  On  the  night  of  April  8th  they  captured 
two  cavalry  pickets  and  five  horses  of  our  command.  On 
the  night  of  the  21st  a detail  of  40  men  under  command 
of  Lieut.  David  Powell  of  Company  H,  all  of  the  Twelfth, 
crossed  the  river  into  London  County,  Virginia,  and  cap- 
tured the  desperate  and  dangerous  Capt.  Lapole  and 
seven  of  his  men  of  these  daring  guerillas,  bringing  them 
in  safe  to  camp  as  prisoners,  receiving  therefore  the 
hearty  thanks  and  commendation  of  the  commander  of  the 
post  at  Berryville. 

(90)  A comrade  tells  the  story  of  the  capture  as  fol- 
lows : 

(91)  While  the  Twelfth  West  Virginia  Regiment  lay 
at  Berrysville,  Va.,  during  the  months  of  March  and 
April,  1863,  the  pickets,  outposts  and  reconnoitering  par- 
ties were  constantly  annoyed  and  harassed  by  frequent 


30 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


attacks  from  guerrilla  bands,  under  command  of  Capt. 
Lapole,  a noted  desperado  belonging  to  Mosby’s  com- 
mand. Quite  a number  of  men  had  been  killed  by  this 
Captain  and  his  party.  To  capture  them  was  no  trifling 
undertaking. 

(92)  Lieut.  David  Powell  of  Company  H had  been 
made  provost  marshal  of  the  command.  In  this  position 
he  had  an  opportunity  to  quiz  and  learn  from  all  parties 
who  came  to  his  office  the  whereabouts  of  Capt.  Lapole 
and  his  men.  'At  length  a negro  man,  name  forgotten, 
came  and  wished  a permit  to  buy  some  sugar  and  coffee 
of  the  post  Sutler. 

(93)  On  inquiry  Lieut.  Powell  learned  that  he  was 
from  the  east  side  of  the  Shenandoah  River,  where  Capt. 
Lapole  and  his  men  always  made  their  escape  after  mak- 
ing their  attacks.  At  once  the  Lieut,  suspected  that  the 
negro  man  had  been  sent  to  obtain  the  articles  he  desired, 
and  took  him  into  a back  room  to  question  him.  The 
negro  stoutly  denied  that  he  had  been  sent  by  Lapole  or 
any  of  his  men,  but  admitted  that  he  knew  Lapole  and 
qiute  a number  of  his  men,  and  after  close  questioning 
said  that  Capt.  Lapole  and  seven  of  his  men  were  at  his 
master’s  home  and  would  remain  there  for  the  night. 

(94)  At  this  Lieut.  Powell  told  him  if  he  would  give 
such  information  as  would  lead  to  Capt.  Lapole’s  capture 
he  would  give  him  $50.  This  was  increased  to  $80  by 
Gen.  Milroy.  The  negro  at  once  acceded  to  the  proposi- 
tion, and  agreed  to  join  in  the  work  of  his  capture,  and 
admitted  that  Capt.  Lapole  and  his  men  had  sent  him  for 
the  coffee  and  sugar.  He  was  allowed  to  purchase  his 
articles  and  return  to  his  home,  with  the  understanding 
that  if  Capt.  Lapole  and  his  men  remained  at  his  master's 
he  would  come  to  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river  and  light 
three  matches  in  succession.  Then  someone  would  cross 
the  river  and  learn  all  the  facts  respecting  Lapole  and  his 
men.  At  the  appointed  time  the  lights  flashed  across  the 
river  and  Lieut  Wycoff  of  the  First  New  York  Cavalry 


31 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


crossed  the  river,  and  learned  that  Lapole  and  his  men 
were  there  at  his  masters  and  would  remain  all  night. 

(95)  Lieut.  Powell  accompanied  by  Lieut.  Thos.  H. 
Means  of  Company  H,  came  to  the  river,  and  while  there 
signals  were  displayed  from  an  upper  window  of  a farm 
house,  which  display  Lieut.  Powell  with  a part  of  his 
command,  went  to  the  house  to  put  a stop  to.  On  going 
to  the  house  he  found  quite  a number  of  the  fair  sex 
collected,  and  a bounteous  supper  prepared  for  the  boys 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 

(96)  Lieut.  Powell  allowed  his  men  to  eat  at  the  first 
table  and  then  after  giving  strick  orders  that  no  lights 
should  be  exhibited  from  the  house  that  night,  he  took 
from  the  house  a negro  guide  and  made  for  the  river 
again.  But  on  his  return,  Lieut.  Means  and  his  men 
could  not  be  found,  and  no  one  dared  to  make  a noise  to 
call  him. 

(97)  Presently  he  came  across  Lieut.  Wycoff,  who 
had  secured  a leaky  old  boat  and  was  waiting  for  Lieut. 
Powell  and  his  men.  As  soon  as  Lieut.  Powell  came  he, 
Wycoff,  told  him  what  the  negro  had  done  and  said.  At 
once  Lieut.  Powell  entered  the  boat  with  three  other 
men — Samuel  McDaniel  and  Harvey  Haddox  (the  latter 
was  afterward  killed  in  the  assault  on  battery  Gregg,  in 
front  of  Petersburg,  Va. ) as  rowers  of  the  boat.  The 
other  soldier  was  Elijah  McIntosh,  all  of  Company  H, 
(McIntosh  died  at  Winchester,  October,  1864,  from  an 
overdose  of  morphine  given  him  by  a drunken  doctor  of 
the  regiment.).  Then  the  oarsmen  returned  and  brought 
two  others  over  until  there  were  twenty-eight  men  in  all 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  With  these  twenty-eight  men 
Lieut.  Powell  pushed  on  to  where  Lapole  and  his  men 
were  lodging  for  the  night. 

(98)  McDaniel  and  Haddox  took  charge  of  the  boat 
and  started  down  the  river,  which  was  fearfully  high  and 
rabid,  and  the  night  was  so  dark  that  no  one  could  see 
an  object  ten  feet  away.  Thus  three  miles  had  to  be 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


traveled  down  the  river,  before  coming  to  the  house  where 
the  men  sought,  were  to  be  found. 

(99)  Before  reaching  the  house  the  chickens  were 
crowing  for  day  and  already  the  dawn  of  light  was 
beginning  to  show  above  the  mountain  height.  (Blue 
Mountain.) 

(100)  The  negro  guide  made  a mistake  and  led  to 
the  wrong  house,  not  more  than  four  hundred  yards 
away.  The  noise  here  in  bursting  open  the  door  was 
loud,  but  fortunately  not  loud  enough  to  waken  the  sen- 
tinel, who,  not  more  than  twenty  minutes  before  had 
been  permitted  by  his  Captain  to  lie  down  and  sleep,  for 
he  had  announced  the  dawn  of  day  and  all  quiet. 

(101)  Lieut.  Powell  had  divided  his  men  into  two  sec- 
tions— the  first,  was  to  move  on  to  the  house,  and  then 
open  order  and  quickly  move  around  the  house,  so  as  to 
enclose  it.  The  other  section  was  to  rush  with  all  their 
force  against  the  door,  and  if  possible  mash  it  in  upon 
the  men  who  were  sleeping  on  the  floor.  The  first  crash, 
the  door  flew  from  its  hinges  and  fell  within  upon  the 
now  frightened  foe. 

(102)  Without  firing  a shot,  the  whole  crew  cried  for 
quarter.  A light  was  struck  and  just  as  the  light  flamed 
up,  one  of  the  men  fled  up  a stair  way.  When  persued 
he  was  found  close  in  by  the  side  of  a fat  chubby  girl  who 
had  been  sleeping  alone  upstairs.  When  requested  to 
come  forth,  he  quickly  obeyed  and  begged  for  quarter. 
The  girl  was  heartily  scared.  Some  of  the  men  were  for 
capturing  her,  but  on  closer  view  they  decided  that  she 
was  a woman  and  ought  to  be  left  to  finish  her  morning 
nap. 

(104)  All  the  prisoners,  Capt.  Lapole  and  seven  men 
were  properly  searched,  their  arms  secured,  and  a rapid 
fall  back  upon  the  river  was  made,  where  the  two  men 
with  their  boat  was  in  waiting.  Lieut.  Wycoff  had  also 
secured  another  boat. 

(105)  Lieut.  Means  and  his  men  were  on  the  other 


33 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


side;  also,  two  pieces  of  artillery  were  planted  to  secure 
a safe  crossing  of  the  river,  against  an  attack  from  Mosby 
and  his  men,  who  were  only  a mile  or  so  distant. 

(106)  Lieut.  Powell  saw  all  his  men  and  his  prisoners 
safely  across,  then  he  the  last  of  all,  came  across,  having 
with  his  brave  men,  accompanied  one  of  the  most  daring 
feats  of  the  war.  The  crossing  of  the  river  alone,  was' 
one  of  the  most  perilous  adventures  one  could  undertake. 

(107)  After  crossing  the  river,  and  forming  his  men, 
Lieut.  Powell  marched  with  his  prisoners  to  Berrysville, 
where  he  securely  placed  them  in  the  county  jail,  under  a 
vigilant  guard.  He  and  his  men  received  the  compli- 
mentary notice  of  Col.  McReynolds,  commanding  post; 
of  Gen.  R.  H.  Milroy,  commanding  at  Winchester,  Va., 
and  of  Gen.  Robert  Schenck,  who  commanded  the 
norther  part  of  Virginia  and  of  Maryland. 

(108)  Lapole,  the  morning  after  his  capture,  proposed 
that  if  he  could  be  allowed  fifty  yards,  and  then  a chance 
for  escape,,  he  would  allow  six  or  eight  men  to  shoot  at 
him.  But  when  told  there  were  that  many  men  in  the 
command  who  could  kill  a deer  100.  yards  running,  he 
gave  up  the  matter  as  a dangerous  undertaking. 

(109)  He  was  afterward  tried  by  a military  court  at 
Fort  McHenry  at  Baltimore,  and  was  sentenced  to  be 
hung,  which  sentence  was  executed  on  the  8th  of  May, 
1864,  one  year  and  one  month  after  his  capture. 

(110)  The  negro  who  informed,  was  literally  shot  to 
pieces  afterward,  by  Lapole’s  comrades  in  their  guerrilla 
warfare. 

(111)  The  men  who  crossed  the  river  and  captured 
Lapole,  did  their  duty  nobly.  Not  one  of  them  failing  in 
a single  duty  assigned  them. 

(112)  It  was  a mortification  to  Lieut.  Means,  that  he 
did  not  get  to  cross  the  river  and  to  share  the  danger 
with  others. 

(113)  The  men  who  participated  in  the  capture  of 
Lapole  and  his  men,  were  largely  volunteers  from  the 


34 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


several  companies  of  the  regiment.  There  was  never 
any  need  of  a detail  when  it  was  known  that  Lieut.  Powell 
was  to  command. 

(114)  A company  of  the  Twelfth,  on  the  night  of  the 
twenty-ninth  went  out  from  camp  a few  miles  to  a house 
to  capture  some  “bush-whackers”  supposed  to  be  there; 
but  they  failed  to  get  any. 

(115)  In  this  connection  may  be  told  a little  joke  on 
Sergeant  James  Porter,  who  was  of  the  detachment. 
There  was  a beautiful  girl  at  the  house,  whom  the 
sergeant  got  to  see,  and  with  whose  beauty  he  was  it 
seemed,  much  impressed.  It  appeared  that  the  matter 
rested  upon  his  mind ; and  the  next  day,  though  a quiet 
man,  he  referred  to  her  beauty  in  evident  admiration, 
saying,  “Boys  that  was  a mighty  pretty  girl  that  we  saw 
last  night,  and  I have  a notion  to  go  back  there.” 

(116)  Our  stay  at  Berryville  now  May  ninth,  came 
to  a close.  The  regiment  at  this  date  received  orders 
to  proceed  to  Clarksburg,  W.  Va.,  to  protect  that  place, 
which  was  threatened  with  an  attack  by  a rebel  force 
under  Gen.  Jones,  who  was  raiding  the  country  about 
there  generally. 

(117)  We  started  on  our  march  to  Clarksburg  in  the 
afternoon,  to  go  by  way  of  Harpers  Ferry  to  take  the 
cars  there,  to  the  former  place.  We  marched  through 
that  old  town  of  Charlestown,  W.  Va.,  near  Harpers 
Ferry,  which  old  town  is  destined  to  be  historic,  and  a 
noted  place  for  long  years  to  come,  because  of  its  associa- 
tion with  the  name  of  John  Brown,  of  Osawatomie, 
whose  memory  is  world-wide.  As  showing  the  extent 
of  the  name  and  fame  of  John  Brown,  an  incident  is  here 
given  in  substance,  as  related  some  years  ago  by  the  late 
Thornes  Hughes,  “Tom  Brown  of  Rugby,”  then  ex- 
member of  parliament. 

(118)  It  was  after  our  late  Civil  War  that  he,  Thomas 
Hughes,  was  one  day  walking  along  in  London,  not  far 
from  London  bridge,  when  he  heard  a sound  of  voices 


35 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 

that  arrested  his  attention.  He  listened  and  soon  dis- 
covered that  the  sound  proceeded  from  a regiment  of 
British  soldiers  crossing  the  bridge  singing,  “John 
Brown’s  body  lies  mouldering  in  the  tomb,”  etc.  In 
writing  about  this  occurrence  he  indulged  in  this  reflec- 
tion. That  when  such  men  as  he  should  be  forgotten,  the 
name  of  John  Brown  would  still  be  remembered. 

(119)  It  was  perhaps  between  nine  and  ten  o’clock  at 
night — that  night  in  May — when  we  passed  through  the 
old  town.  The  lights  were  out,  the  streets  deserted,  the 
citizens  apparently  had  retired  for  the  night ; and  the  town 
seemed  wrapped  in  slumber.  There  was  nothing  to 
disturb  the  quiet  of  the  night,  and  the  solemn  stillness 
of  all  about,  but  the  monotonous  tramp,  tramp  of  the 
soldiers  as  they  marched ; when  suddenly  the  quiet  was 
broken;  Company  A,  at  the  head  of  the  regiment  struck 
up  the  song  of  “John  Brown,”  and  other  companies  taking 
it  up  soon  all  were  singing. 

(120)  Pretty  soon  windows  were  hoisted,  shutters 
were  thrown  open  and  lights  flashed  out  on  the  streets. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  citizens  of  the  old  town  were 
startled ! Possibly  they  thought  the  spirit  of  John  Brown 
had  come  back  from  the  spirit  world  to  haunt  them. 

(121)  A few  years  before  the  soldiers  of  Virginia  was 
here  to  see  that  John  Brown  should  be  hanged,  that 
human  servitude  in  the  land  might  be  made  more  secure. 
Then  the  moral  atmosphere  of  our  land  was  murky  with 
greed,  selfishness  and  prejudice.  Men’s  understandings 
were  perverted ; they  called  wrong  right,  and  preached 
it  as  a holy  thing.  It  was  almost  true,  that  he  had  no 
friend,  that  dared  proclaim  the  fact,  and  that  none  were 
so  poor  as  to  do  him  reverence.  Then,  too,  there  were 
distant  rumblings  of  a coming  storm,  but  the  cloud  on 
the  horizon  was  no  larger  than  a man’s  hand. 

(122)  Today  the  storm  of  war  had  burst  upon  the 
land  with  threatening  fury.  The  whole  country  was 
turned  into  a field  of  war.  There  were  other  soldiers 


36 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


on  duty  now.  They  were  fighting  to  maintain  the  Union 
of  their  fathers,  ‘‘shouting  the  battle  cry  of  freedom,” 
and  every  step  they  took  was  leading  to  the  doom  of 
slavery. 

(123)  The  thunder  and  lightning  of  war  was  clear- 
ing the  moral  atmosphere.  Men  saw  things  differently 
now;  and  while  the  men  of  the  old  Twelfth,  like  many 
others,  gave  a sort  of  superficial  disapproval  of  the  con- 
duct of  John  Brown,  deep  down  in  their  hearts,  in  these 
perilous  times  which  were  anew  trying  men’s  souls,  they 
felt  an  admiration  for  the  old  hero  who  died  bravely,  in 
an  insane  attempt  to  free  from  bondage  a despised  race; 
and  hence,  they  sang  with  gusto  the  John  Brown  war 
song,  as  they  marched  through  that  town  in  the  Valley 
which  will  suggest  his  name  for  generations  to  come. 

(124)  Considering  the  wonderful  contrast  between  the 
spectacle  of  this  regiment’s  then  singing  the  battle  hymn 
whose  refrain  is,  “But  His  Soul  Goes  Marching  On,”  and 
that  which  was  to  be  seen  there  only  a few  years  before, 
the  incident  was  a most  extraordinary  and  impressive 
one. 

(125)  On  the  eleventh,  we  arrived  to  within  five 
miles  of  Clarksburg,  where  the  enemy  had  destroyed  a 
railroad  bridge.  We  got  off  the  cars  here,  got  our  dinner 
and  marched  the  same  day  to  Clarksburg.  The  Rebel 
Gen.  Jones  made  no  attack  on  the  place.  During  tins 
stay  at  this  place,  Mr.  Nathaniel  Wells,  of  Brooke  county, 
brought  tickets  out  from  Hancock  county,  for  the  soldiers 
of  the  latter  to  vote. 

(126)  We  remained  at  this  place  doing  picket  duty, 
and  drilling  nearly  every  day,  with  nothing  particular 
occurring,  until  June  second,  when  we  had  orders  to 
march,  taking  a freight  train  for  Grafton  on  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  railroad,  where  we  were  paid  on  that  day 
two  months  pay.  The  next  morning  we  took  the  cars  at 
this  place  for  Martinsburg,  arriving  there  the  following 
night;  and  in  the  morning  following,  we  started  on  the 


37 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


march  up  the  Valley  Pike  for  Winchester,  more  than 
“Twenty  miles  away”  arriving  on  the  fifth  at  that  place. 
We  camped  on  the  southwest  of  the  town.  Here  at  this 
time  we  drew  sheter  tents.  This  appeared  like  getting 
down  to  business — looked  like  stripping  for  a fight. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


(127)  The  time  for  the  taking  place  of  important 
events  was  approaching.  The  near  future  was  pregnant 
with  events  for  the  Twelfth;  the  time  for  the  battle  of 
Winchester  under  Gen.  Milroy  was  not  far  off.  And  an 
important  crisis  for  the  entire  nation  in  the  progress  of 
the  war  was  almost  at  hand,  involving  the  welfare  of  the 
country  and  the  better  interests  of  mankind  generally; 
for  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  the  greatest  battle  of  the 
war,  and  the  greatest  battle  ever  fought  on  American 
soil — a battle  which  is  now  regarded  as  the  turning  point 
of  the  war,  was  about  to  be  fought. 

(128)  We  had  now  been  in  the  service  for  nearly  ten 
months  and  the  regiment,  as  a whole,  had  never  been  in 
an  engagement.  We  sometimes  wondered  whether  we 
should  ever  get  into  a battle.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  most 
of  the  boys  were  anxious  to  see,  at  least,  one  fight ; and 
some  of  them  were  want  to  say  somewhat  boastfully,  that 
they  were  “spoiling  for  a fight.”  Any  doubts,  however, 
as  to  whether  we  were  to  see  a battle  were  soon  to  be 
dispelled ; and  the  desire  to  see  one,  or  to  be  engaged  in  it, 
was  destined  to  be  more  than  satisfied,  at  a later  period. 

(129)  “Coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before.” 
There  are  frequently  harbingers  of  future  occurrences ; 
but  the  .difficulty  is  to  measure  their  significance,  and  to 
know  what  is  best  to  do  in  view  of  them.  There  began 
to  be  signs  of  a coming  conflict  in  this  field  of  operations. 
The  next  day  after  our  return  to  this  place  we  had  orders 
to  lie  on  our  arms  the  succeeding  night ; and  the  next 
night,  Sunday,  the  seventh,  at  10  o’clock  three  com- 
panies, D,  E,  and  I,  were  sent  out  on  the  Strasburg  road 
to  reinforce  the  picket  there.  The  three  companies 
stayed  out  till  morning,  when  they  returned  to  camp. 
Two  days  later  the  situation  was  becoming  more  threat- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


ening.  Companies  F,  I,  C,  and  H,  under  command  of 
Col.  Northcott  were  ordered  out  to  support,  at  night,  a 
section  of  artillery,  which  at  the  time  was  placed  in 
position  every  night  to  be  ready  in  case  of  an  attack. 

(130)  In  the  morning,  no  enemy  having  appeared, 
the  four  companies  returned  to  camp.  This  day,  the 
eleventh,  Major  Pierpont  gave  us  a farewell  address,  he 
having  resigned  as  mayor,  to  accept  the  office  of  adjutant 
general  of  West  Virginia.  He  left  much  to  the  regret  of 
the  Twelfth,  being  a general  favorite. 

(131)  The  bloody  ordeal  of  a general  battle  for  the 
whole  command  was  just  now  at  hand.  The  next  day 
the  Eighty-seventh  Pennsylvania  with  some  cavalry  and 
artillery  went  out  the  Strasburg  road  five  miles,  and 
ambushing  a force  of  Rebel  cavalry,  they  killed  and 
wounded  some  fifty  of  them,  and  captured  about  forty 
prisoners  without  the  loss  of  a man  of  the  Eighty-seventh. 
The  boys  of  that  regiment  came  back  in  good  spirits  say- 
ing, that  they  had  “skunked  them.” 

(132)  That  night  four  companies  of  the  Twelfth  were 
again  ordered  to  support  a battery.  They  returned  from 
doing  that  duty  at  7 oclock  next  morning;  but  before  the}' 
got  their  breakfast,  the  whole  regiment  was  ordered  into 
line.  After  standing  in  line  for  awhile,  we  got  orders 
to  fill  our  canteens  with  water  and  get  one  day’s  rations 
in  our  haversacks;  and  about  11  o’clock  we  marched  out 
on  the  Strasburg  road.  At  the  same  time,  cannonading 
commenced  on  our  left,  which  told  us  the  battle  was  on. 

(133)  We  changed  our  position  several  times  until 
we  got  into  a piece  of  woods.  Here  we  were  ordered  to 
take  off  and  pile  up  our  knapsacks,  which  we  did.  The 
Rebels  were  advancing  a heavy  skirmich  line  in  front; 
and  soon  were  heard  those  peculiar  sounds,  the  whistling 
of  the  minnie-balls,  to  which  the  men  afterward  became 
quite  accustomed.  So  unaccustomed  were  they  to  the 
whistling  sounds,  that  they  began  to  question  among 
themselves  as  to  what  they  were,  some  saying  that  they 


40 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


were  the  sounds  of  flying  bullets;  others  that  they  were 
not.  An  officer  hearing  the  talk  said : “Boys  those  are 
bullets  as  sure  as  you  live.”  This  assurance  together 
with  the  increasing  frequency  of  the  sounds,  settled  the 
matter  in  their  minds ; and  they  never  afterward  had  any 
doubts  as  to  what  it  was,  when  they  heard  the  whistle 
of  bullets. 

(134)  We  opened  on  the  advancing  enemy,  and  for 
about  an  hour  we  kept  up  a heavy  fire.  We  held  the 
Rebels  in  check  in  our  front.  After  a while  Adjt.  Cald- 
well reporting  that  the  enemy  was  flanking  us  on  our 
right,  Company  A,  under  command  of  Lieut.  Burley  was 
ordered  to  form  a skirmish  line,  and  move  to  that  flank 
to  protect  it.  The  force  there,  however,  moving  against 
us  was  too  heavy  to  be  kept  back  by  one  company  of 
skirmishes ; so  the  Colonel  ordered  us  to  fall  back  behind 
a small  creek  which  position  we  held  till  dark. 

(135)  When  we  retired  from  the  woods  to  the  creek, 
the  Colonel  marched  us  to  the  rear  by  file,  instead  of  in 
line  of  battle,  which  latter  order  under  the  circumstances, 
military  tactics,  it  is  taken,  would  demand.  We  filed  off 
the  field  by  the  left  flank,  and  in  doing  so  the  right  had 
to  march  the  length  of  the  regiment  before  gaining  a step 
to  the  rear.  It  was  while  thus  marching  to  the  point  of 
filing  left  to  the  rear,  Lieut.  Bradley,  of  Company  I,  was 
shot  dead.  We  left  our  knapsacks  in  the  woods,  where 
we  had  unslung  them.  They,  of  course,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Johnnys,  who,  no  doubt,  examined  them 
with  a good  deal  of  interest.  This,  our  first  engagement, 
was  the  only  one  in  which  we  met  with  anything  like  a 
general  loss  of  equipments. 

(136)  Col.  Curtis,  then  Captain  of  Company  D,  used 
to  tell  this  ancedote  concerning  this  day’s  fighting.  There 
was  an  Irishman  in  his  company  whose  name  was 
Tommy  Burke,  who,  like  his  nationality  in  general,  was 
quick-witted  and  humorous.  During  the  fighting  in  the 
woods  the  hammer  was  shot  off  his  gun,  and  about  the 


41 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


same  time  he  missed  his  haversack,  Tommy  believed — no 
doubt  correctly — that  it  had  been  shot  away  too.  Being 
thus  completely  knocked  out  as  it  were,  he  turned  to  the 
Captain  saying,  with  reference  principally,  it  is  presumed 
to  the  loss  of  his  haversack,  “Captain,  Captain,  the  bloody 
Rebels  have  cut  ahff  my  supplies.” 

(137)  After  dark  we  fell  back  from  the  creek  to  a 
stone  wall  at  the  outskirts  of  town,  when  it  began  pouring 
down  rain  in  torrents.  At  2 o’clock  in  the  morning, 
Sunday  the  14th,  we  marched  up  into  the  fortifications, 
remaining  there  till  7 o’clock.  At  this  time  while  in  the 
fortifications,  Lieut.  Melvin  of  Company  I,  arrived  from 
home,  showing  that  the  rear  was  still  open  till  near  that 
Sunday  morning,  at  least. 

(138)  Our  regiment  was  the  first  to  go  out  of  the  forti- 
fications that  morning.  We  took  a position  behind  a 
stone  wall  between  the  Strasburg  and  Romney  roads, 
and  about  a mile  from  the  main  fort,  which  we  held  till 
ordered  back.  A little  later  two  companies  as  skirmishers 
took  position  behind  the  stone  wall  we  had  just  left.  The 
left  wing  was  held  in  reserve,  while  the  right  supported  a 
battery  placed  at  about  900  yards  from  the  Rebel  lines. 

(139)  In  front  of  this  battery  off  to  the  southwest  the 
Johnnys  were  behind  a stone  wall.  Our  artillery  did 
some  very  accurate  shooting,  knocking  several  holes  in 
the  wall  behind  which  the  Johnnys  were,  causing  them, 
when  the  wall  was  struck,  to  scatter  in  a lively  manner, 
and  thus  affording  for  the  time  being,  at  least,  great  sport 
for  our  boys,  though  they  were  quite  worn  out  from 
want  of  sleep,  having  had  little  or  none  the  night  before. 
Occasional  shots  from  the  enemy  reached  this  battery.  It 
was  one  of  these  that  struck  and  killed  Lieut.  Beugough 
of  Company  F,  who  was  lying  sleeping  at  the  time,  being 
overcome  by  want  of  sleep. 

(140)  About  5 o’clock  P.  M.  the  whole  regiment 
advanced  to  the  stone  wall.  A half  hour  later  the  Rebels 
opened  a tremendous  fire  with  their  artillery,  which 


42 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


heretofore,  during  the  day  had  been  quiet,  on  our  forti- 
fications. The  whole  force  then  fell  back  to  the  forts,  the 
Rebels  having  shortly  before  this  captured  battery  L,  of 
the  Regulars.  Thus  practically  ended  this  day’s  fighting. 
However,  our  siege  guns  replied  to  the  Rebel  guns  till 
about  night,  the  roar  of  our  heavy  guns  being  deafening. 

(141)  The  Rebel  artillery  fire  came  from  a ridge 
southwest  of  our  forts,  and  was  directed  seemingly  to  the 
flag  staff  of  the  main  fort ; and  when  Gen.  Milroy  climbed 
the  flag. staff,  as  he  did,  in  order  to  get  a view  of  the 
Rebel  batteries,  it  may  be,  or  to  note  the  effect  of  our  fire, 
the  boys  cheered  him  lustily. 

(142)  Greely  in  the  American  Conflict  says  in  regard 
to  this  capture  of  Winchester  by  the  Rebels,  that  our 
men  took  a prisoner  Saturday  night  the  13th,  “who  rather 
astonished  Milroy  by  the  information  that  he  belonged  to 
Ewell’s  corps ; and  that  Longstreet’s  also  was  just  at 
hand — the  two  numbering  about  50,000  men.” 

(143)  In  regard  to  the  operations  of  the  next  day, 

Sunday,  14th,  he  says  that  at  4 P.  M.  they  (the  Rebels) 
made  a charge  up  the  Front  Royal  road  to  the  edge  of 
town,  but  were  repulsed.  A little  later  they  opened  fire 
from  two  eight-gun  batteries  on  the  northwest,  hardly  a 
mile  from  town ; and  forthwith  Ewell’s  infantry  swept 
up  to  and  over  our  breastworks,  disregarding  the  fire  of 
our  guns,  driving  out  the  110th  Ohio  with  heavy  loss, 
and  planting  their  colors  on  our  defenses.  Meantime, 
the  city  had  been  substantially  invested  on  every  side,  and 
was  now  virtually  lost;  though  an  attempt  to  storm  the 
main  fort  from  the  position  first  gained  was  repulsed.” 

(144)  Referring  to  the  foregoing  alleged  attempt  to 
storm  the  main  fort,  if  there  was  any  made,  it  was  after 
dark.  It  is  remembered  that  there  was  heavy  firing  from 

the  fort,  on  the  northwest  side,  as  though  the  enemy  was  « 

making  an  attack,  but  it  never  seemed  quite  clear  that  he 
was,  as  it  was  so  dark  at  the  time  that  an  object  could  be 
seen  but  a short  distance. 


43 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


(145)  At  1 o’clock  A.  M.  Monday,  15th,  Milroy  held  a 
council  of  war  which  decided  to  evacuate  our  force  of 
all  arms  being  only  10,000,  and  not  all  of  it  effective, 
against  a corps  of  25,000  and  more  if  necessary.  The 
artillery  was  spiked,  the  harness  cut  up,  the  axles  and 
wheels  sawed  to  pieces,  and  at  2 o’clock,  the  whole  com- 
mand began  moving  out  to  evacuate  the  fort,  the  soldiers 
hastily  breaking  some  boxes  of  crackers  (conveniently 
placed  for  the  purpose)  with  the  butts  of  their  muskets, 
and  putting  some  of  the  crackers  in  their  haversacks,  as 
they  marched  out. 

(146)  We  started  on  the  road  leading  to  Martinsburg. 
A mile  or  two  from  the  fort,  Gen.  Milroy  rode  along  the 
road  past  the  men  telling  them  to  push  along;  that  he 
wanted  to  get  as  far  out  the  road  as  possible  before  day- 
light. The  Twelfth  was  somewhere  about  the  middle 
of  the  line.  Four  miles  from  Winchester  our  advance  was 
attacked  by  a division  of  Rebels  holding  the  road  in  our 
front.  It  was  at  this  time  just  breaking  day.  There  was 
very  heavy  firing  for  about  a half  hour — heavier  than  at 
any  time  during  the  two  proceeding  days. 

(147)  We  were  halted  when  fighting  began  in  our 
front ; and  stood  in  line  seemingly  waiting  on  orders,  but 
none  coming  we  filed  to  the  left  of  the  pike,  and  started 
in  the  direction  of  North  Mountain.  It  was  just  here 
where  we  left  the  pike,  that  Lieut.  Col.  Northcott,  getting 
seperated  from  the  regiment,  was  captured.  We  encoun- 
tered no  enemy  until  we  got  to  the  base  of  the  mountain 
several  miles  distant.  Here  we  were  fired  upon  by  some 
Rebel  cavalry,  from  a road  running  along  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  Company  A,  being  at  the  head  of  the  regiment 
opened  fire  in  return  upon  the  Johnnys,  pouring  it  in 
briskly,  and  they  soon  got  out  of  the  way.  We  had  now 
got  outside  of  the  Rebel  ring.  None  of  our  men  were  hit 
at  this  place. 

(148)  The  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Ohio,  the 
First  New  York  cavalry  and  the  Twelfth  West  Virginia, 


44 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


were  the  only  regiments  that  came  out  of  the  fight  retain- 
ing their  organizations.  We  lost  no  men  as  prisoners 
except  those  who  had  in  some  way  got  seperated  from 
the  regiment ; though  our  loss  in  prisoners  was  consid- 
erable, about  200.  Among  these  were,  Lieut.  Col. 
Northcott,  Asst.  Surgeon,  F.  H.  Patton,  and  Lieut. 
Henry  F.  Anshultz.  Among  the  killed  were,  Lieut. 
Thomas  W.  Bradley  of  Company  I.  and  Lieut.  John  T. 
Beugough  of  Company  F ; and  among  the  wounded  was 
Lieut.  James  R.  Dunham  of  Company  E. 

(119)  This  fight  at  Winchester  was  a disastrous  one 
for  the  Union  cause.  Milroy  lost  between  3,000  and 
■1,000  men,  all  his  artillery  and  some  100  wagons,  the 
troops  coming  out  of  it,  retaining  their  organizations,  had 
only  their  small  arms. 

(150)  It  was  an  opinion  entertained  by  many  of 
Milroy’s  men,  that  this  disaster  to  our  arms  was  largely 
compensated  for.  by  the  alleged  fact  that  his  stubborn 
resistance  at  Winchester  had  so  detained  Lee  in  his 
invasion  of  Pennsylvania,  that  Hooker  and  Meade  were 
the  better  enabled  to  concentrate  their  forces  to  protect 
Washington  and  meet  him  in  battle.  There  is  seemingly 
not  much  in  this  view  ; for  it  was  only  a part  of  Lee’s  army 
that  was  detained ; the  bulk  of  it  kept  moving  on,  not 
being  detained,  in  the  least,  by  Milroy.  Days  after  his 
rout  the  enemy  was  still  on  the  road  south  of  Winchester, 
marching  down  the  V alley,  as  will  appear  further  along. 

(151)  It  was.  more  than  two  weeks  after  Milroy’s 
defeat  that  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  fought.  He 
could  have  got  out  his  entire  command,  if  he  had  started 
one  day  sooner.  Considering  the.  length  of  time  after 
the  defeat,  before  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  took  place, 
this  detention  of  the  advance  of  Lee’s  army  for  only  o"e 
day  longer  than  was  consistent  with  his  escape,  was  of 
not  very  great  importance,  Greely  says,  “Milroy’s  great 
mistake  was  holding  on  just  one  day  too  long — his  com- 
munications with  Schenck  and  Halleck  having  already 


45 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


been  served.”  This  will  doubtless  be  the  verdict  of 
history.  It  was  for  this  blunder  and  its  consequences, 
evidently,  that  he  was  relieved  from  command  of  his 
army. 

(152)  Going  back  a little,  Col.  Curtis  tells  this  story 
about  Lieut.  Phil  Bier  of  Company  A,  in  reference  to  our 
being  fired  upon  by  the  Rebels  at  the  foot  of  North 
Mountain.  When  our  men  began  returning  the  fire,  some 
one  shouted,  “You  are  shooting  the  cattle.”  Lieut.  Bier 

replied,  “D n it ! whoever  heard  of  cattle  shooting — 

give  it  to  them  boys.” 

(153)  In  this  connection  it  is  proper  to  speak  of  the 
conduct  of  Sergt.  Henry  Spear,  of  Company  D,  at  this 
time.  When  we  were  fired  upon,  some  of  the  boys,  not 
knowing,  of  course,  the  strength  of  the  enemy,  and  being 
taken  by  surprise,  began  shying  off  to  one  side  of  the 
road  into  the  woods.  Sergt.  Spear,  however,  walked 
toward  the  Jolmnys,  so  as  to  get  a good  view ; and  spying 
a fellow  behind  a fence,  took  deliberate  aim  at  him  and 
fired.  He  got  from  behind  the  fence  quickly.  Spear 
had  unknowingly  exchanged  guns  with  a comrade  at 
night  in  the  fortifications.  He  insisted  that  if  he  had  had 
his  own  gun,  he  would  have  shot  the  Johnny. 

(154)  In  closing  any  reference  to  the  fighting  of  our 
regiment  at  this  battle  of  Winchester,  it  is  but  simple 
justice  to  say  that  the  manner  in  which  Company  B, 
acquitted  itself  on  the  first  day’s  engagement,  as  skir- 
mishers, called  forth  deserved  praise. 

(155)  Here  is  an  incident  of  our  retreat  copied  almost 
verbatim  from  an  old  letter  written  at  the  time,  well 
worthy  of  a place.  After  we  had  driven  off  the  cavalry 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  were  ascending  it  along 
a road,  through  a sort  of  defile,  near  the  top  a girl  of 
some  fourteen  or  fifteen  years,  barefooted,  bareheaded, 
her  hair  hanging  loosely  down  over  her  shoulders  came 
out  from  a humble,  unpretentious  dwelling  near  by,  and 
with  a coolness  and  confidence  calculated,  under  the 


46 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


circumstances,  to  excite  admiration,  inquired  for  the 
Colonel  telling  him  that  she  thought  it  best  to  not  take  the 
road  he  was  on ; that  she  had  heard  that  the  Rebels  held 
it  at  the  point  where  it  intersected  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  railroad,  about  35  miles  distant;  and  when  inquiry 
was  made  of  her  as  to  whether  she  could  show  us 
another  route  that  was  open,  she  said  that  she  thought 
she  could. 

(156)  When  the  Colonel  told  her  that  we  would  burn 
their  house  if  she  deceived  us  intentionally,  and  got  us 
to  take  a road  on  which  we  would  be  intercepted  by  the 
Rebels,  she  showed  no  alarm,  and  was  not  in  the  least 
disconcerted.  She  went  with  us  about  four  miles  along 
a path  on  the  mountain  crest,  where  we  had  to  walk  in 
single  file.  Striking  another  road  here,  she  left  us. 
Before  she  left,  however,  each  of  several  officers  gave 
her  some  money. 

(157)  This  young  heroine  talked  very  rapidly — was 
not  bold,  but  had  a simple  confidence — and  was  not  a bit 
afraid  of  the  soldiers.  Her  hair  was  blonde,  her  fore- 
head high,  she  was  intellectual  in  appearance,  and  had 
native  beauty  of  person.  This  mountain  maid  needed 
only  a little  polish  to  make  her  highly  attractive.  It  i« 
to  be  hoped  that  she  never  had  to  suffer  at  the  hands  of 
the  Rebels  for  giving  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemy.  The 
soldiers  of  the  Twelfth  who  met  her  that  morning  on  the 
mountain  will  long  remember  her. 

(158)  We  continued  our  retreat  in  a somewhat 
northerly  direction,  camping  at  night  in  the  mountain. 
At  about  midnight  we  renewed  our  march  and  in  the 
forenoon  of  the  next  day,  crossed  the  Potomac  into  Mary- 
land, at  a placed  called  Millstone  point,  wading  the 
stream.  Passing  on  up  the  river  five  miles  farther  we 
reached  Hancock  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad 
about  noon.  The  men,  of  course,  by  this  time  were 
much  exhausted  from  two  or  three  days’  fighting,  little 
sleep  since  the  fight  began  three  days  before,  little  to  eat 


47 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


for  the  last  day  or  two,  and  hard  marching.  It  is 
believed  that  the  men  generally,  got  something  to  eat 
here. 

(159)  The  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Ohio,  which 
arriving  on  another  road,  and  portions  of  the  First  New 
York,  and  Twelfth  Pennsylvania  cavalry,  with  some 
stragglers  from  various  commands;  joined  us  at  this 
place.  Scouts  reporting  that  some  Rebel  cavalry  coming 
from  the  direction  of  Martinsburg  were  going  to  receive 
them ; but  no  attack  was  made  however.  We  stayed  here 
till  10  o’clock  at  night,  when  we  marched  to  Little  New 
Orleans,  eighteen  miles  distant,  arriving  there  sometime 
the  next  day.  We  expected  to  take  the  care  here  for  Cum- 
berland, Md.,  but  no  cars  came. 

(160)  We  waited  here  till  dark,  when  Col.  Washburn 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Ohio,  receiving  a 
dispatch  from  the  colonel  of  the  First  New  York,  that 
the  enemy  held  Cumberland,  we  went  a little  back  on  a 
hill  and  camped  for  the  night  in  some  woods.  Having 
got  some  coffee,  meat  and  flour  at  Little  New  Orleans 
we  managed  to  make  out  of  these  articles  a slim  breakfast 
in  the  morning,  and  began  our  march  for  Bloody  Run, 
Pa.,  about  thirty-five  miles  distant,  arriving  there  the  19th. 

(161)  When  we  got  into  Pennsylvania  we  struck  a 
new  atmosphere.  If  hitherto,  when  we  were  in  the  so- 
called  Confederacy  there  was  always  a feeling  present, 
that  we  were  out  of  our  country,  we  now  felt  that  we 
were  once  more  in  the  land  of  the  “stars  and  stripes,” 
the  United  States  of  America.  The  people  all  along  the 
road  gave  us  a hearty  welcome,  and  freely  gave  us  food. 
There  was  no  danger  of  being  bush-whacked  here,  if 
you  should  chance  to  become  seperated  from  your 
command. 

(162)  When  we  arrived  at  Bloody  Run,  we  met  Gen. 
Milroy  there.  This  meeting  was  the  first  knowledge  we 
had,  that  he  had  escaped  from  Winchester.  He  proceeded 
to  reorganize  his  command,  but  was  soon  relieved 


48 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


because  of  his  disastrous  defeat.  The  members  of  the 
Twelfth  generally,  regretted  very  much  to  part  with  their 
brave  old  commander,  who  was  familiarly  known  in  his 
command  as  the  “Old  Grey  Eagle,”  as  he  was  a general 
favorite  with  them.  They  felt  that  he  had  been  harshly 
dealt  with,  considering  that  the  last  order  he  had  received 
from  Gen.  Schenck  at  Baltimore,  commander  of  the 
department,  communication  being  soon  thereafter  cut  off 
was  to  “hold  the  place  until  further  orders.”  They 
thought  that  his  fault,  if  it  was  such,  was  in  too  literally 
obeying  orders. 

(163)  Col.  Pierce  of  the  Twelfth  Pennsylvania  cavalry 
being  the  senior  of  the  officers  present,  took  command  of 
the  remnant  of  Milroy’s  demoralized  force  after  Milroy 
was  relieved  of  his  command ; and  Col.  Plunk  of  the 
Twelfth  West  Virginia,  was  put  in  command  of  the 
infantry.  We  remained  at  Bloody  Run  till  the  30th, 
when  we  marched  to  Bedford,  Pa.,  starting  in  the  morn- 
ing and  passing  up  the  Juniata  river,  we  arrived  here 
about  1 o’clock  P.  M.  of  that  day.  Here  we  drew  blankets 
and  clothing  the  first  after  leaving  Winchester. 

(164)  We  stayed  at  Bedford  till  July  3rd,  'when  we 
had  orders  to  march  starting  in  the  direction  of  Gettys- 
burg, but  too  late  to-  participate  in  the  battle  that  was 
then  going  on  there.  We  passed  through  Bloody  Run 
and  Connellsburg,  arriving  at  London,  Franklin  county, 
the  5th,  making  a distance  of  about  forty-five  miles. 
Somewhere  on  the  road  perhaps  on  the  4th,  we  got  of  a 
daily  paper  of  the  date  of  July  3rd,  which  gave  a vague, 
indefinite,  unsatisfactory  mention  of  the  battle,  taking 
place  at  Gettysburg;  which,  of  course,  made  us  exceed- 
ingly anxious  for  more  news. 

(165)  Most  of  the  infantry  went  on  six  miles  farther 
to  Mercersburg  to  meet  200  or  300  of  our  cavalry  who 
had  captured  a Rebel  train  of  wagons,  with  the  guards, 
hauling  wounded  and  plunder  to  the  crossing  of  the 
Potomac  at  WilKamsporth,  Md.  There  were  110  wagons 


49 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


and  ambulances,  and  about  600  prisoners,  half  of  whom 
were  wounded  in  this  capture.  The  wagons  were  loaded 
up  with  quartermaster’s  stores,  and  all  kinds  of  plunder 
of  which  they  had  robbed  the  people  on  their  invasion. 
There  were  several  thousand  dollars  worth  of  fine  cloths, 
cassimeres,  silks,  and  etc.,  in  whole  bolts  in  this  plunder. 

(166)  Hospitals  were  established  at  Mercersburg,  and 
the  Rebel  wounded  were  cared  for.  They  were  in  a 
horrible  condition,  having  been  there  from  three  to  five 
days  without  having  had  their  wounds  dressed.  The  next 
day  the  infantry  returned  to  London  bringing  back  the 
unwounded  prisoners,  about  300  in  number,  and  the 
wagons  and  etc.  The  wagons,  ambulances  and  stolen 
goods  were  turned  over  to  the  quartermaster’s  depart- 
ment. 

(167)  We  remained  at  London  until  the  13th,  when 
we  were  ordered  at  3 o’clock  A.  M.,  to  prepare  one  day’s 
rations  and  get  ready  to  march.  We  started  at  6 o’clock 
A.  M.,  marching  through  Mercersburg  and  Greencastle, 
we  reached  Hagerstown,  Md.,  the  next  day.  Passing 
through  the  town,  we  camped  about  two  miles  south  of 
it  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  having  marched  thirty- 
two  miles. 

(168)  The  battle  of  Gettysburg  had  been  fought,  the 
Rebels  had  met  “a  bitter  crushing  defeat,”  and  “the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  had  won  a clean,  honest,  acknowledged 
victory.”  Lee’s  army  had  retreated  as  far  as  the  Potomac; 
but  when  it  reached  there  it  found  its  pontoons  gone, 
they  having  been  destroyed  by  some  of  our  forces,  sent 
up  from  Harpers  Ferry  for  that  purpose  and  the  river 
was  so  high  from  recent  rains  that  it  could  not  be 
forded.  Lee  was  compelled  to  halt  until  he  could  restore 
his  means  of  crossing.  In  the  meantime  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  had  come  up  and  was  again  facing  its  old 
enemy.  Gen.  Meade,  however,  was  hesitating  to  make 
an  attack,  when  he  received  orders  from  Washington  to 
do  so,  and  accordingly  he  would  have  attacked  the  Rebels 


50 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 

the  day,  the  14th,  we  of  the  remnant  of  Milroy’s  army 
passed  through  Hagerstown  in  the  vicinity  of  which  place 
the  two  armies  confronted  each  other ; but  on  the  previous 
night,  Lee  got  his  army  across  the  river;  not  however, 
without  considerable  loss,  Kilkpatrick  having,  after  a 
sharp  engagement,  captured  1,500  of  the  Rebel  rear- 
guard. If  there  had  been  a battle  there,  as  Meade 
expected,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  Twelfth  would 
have  been  on  the  ground  in  time  to  have  engaged  in  it. 

(169)  Here  is  an  ancedote  of  Lee’s  invasion  of  Penn- 
sylvania, heard  at  the  time  of  his  retreat,  that  should  not 
be  lost.  A Rebel  officer,  as  Lee  was  marching  north 
through  the  state  stopped  at  a private  house  for  some 
purpose.  The  woman  of  the  house  with  some  curiosity 
asked  him  where  they  were  going,  which  presumably, 
he  did  not  know,  and  would  not  have  told  if  he  had 
known.  But  he  replied,  “We  are  going  to  Boston.”  The 
woman  said  to  him,  “You’ll  get  ‘Boston’  before  you  get 
back.” 

(170)  When  Lee’s  army  was  retreating  the  same 
officer  stopped  at  the  same  house  and  reminded  the 
woman  that  he  had  stopped  there  before,  saying  to  her. 
“Madam,  I have  just  called  to  say  that  we  got  ‘Boston.’  ” 

(171)  The  next  day  after  Lee  crossed  the  Potomac, 
the  First  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  passed  our 
camp  en  route  to  Harpers  Ferry.  They  had  been  on 
the  go  marching  and  fighting  for  about  a month,  with 
no  time  to  do  any  washing  or  to  get  new  clothes ; and,  of 
course,  they  were  covered  with  dust  and  dirt,  and  were 
hard  looking  generally.  A large  part  of  Milroy’s  men 
had  new  uniforms  and  were  pretty  bright  and  clean 
looking,  and  the  First  Corps  boys  tantalizingly  called 
us  Sunday  soldiers. 

(172)  The  Sixteenth,  we  of  Milroy’s  late  command, 
marched  to  Sharpsburg,  Md.,  ten  miles  distant.  Some 
time  during  the  latter  part  of  July,  while  we  were  at 
Sharpsburg,  Capt.  W.  B.  Curtis  of  Company  D,  received 


51 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


his  commission  as  major  of  the  regiment,  to  rank  as 
such  from  June  17th,  1863. 

( 173)  This  vicinity  is  Maj.  Curtis’s  birth  place,  having 
been  born  here  April  18th,  1821.  He  migrated  from 
here  in  1827  to  West  Virginia.  He  recognized  the  old 
log  house  in  which  he  was  born.  It  was  pierced  with 
cannon  balls  in  several  places  during  the  battle  of 
Antieam.  He  met  several  of  his  relatives  who  were 
loyal  and  made  him  welcome,  while  we  remained  here. 

(174)  Maj.  Curtis  on  the  receipt  of  his  commission 
was  immediate  put  in  command  of  the  regiment,  as  the 
Lieutenant  Colonel  was  still  held  a prisoner  of  war,  and 
the  Colonel  was  in  command  of  a brigade.  For  more  than 
two  weeks  we  remained  at  this  old  village,  which  is 
indeed,  a very  old  one  apparently;  there  being  one  or 
more  old-style  churches  in  it  gone  into  disuse,  and  tumb- 
ling down.  It  is  historically  interesting  too,  as  being 
the  scene  of  the  bloodiest  battle  (at  the  date  of  it) 
ever  fought  on  American  soil,  the  battle  of  Antieam ; 
and  is  today  the  site  of  one  of  the  great  National 
Soldiers  cemetery. 

(175)  On  August  4th,  we  were  ordered  to  Martins- 
burg,  W.  Va.  We  started  in  the  morning  and  marched 
to  Harpers  Ferry,  a distance  of  ten  miles,  took  the  cars 
there  which  carried  us  to  within  two  miles  of  Martins- 
burg,  they  being  prevented  from  going  any  further  by 
reason  of  the  railroad’s  having  been  torn  up  by  the 
enemies,  got  out  of  the  cars  when  they  stopped  and 
marched  the  rest  of  the  way  to  town  in  the  evening  and 
camped  for  the  night. 

(176)  In  the  morning  we  moved  our  camp  to  a pretty 
lawn  of  some  five  acres  at  the  edge  of  town,  filled  with 
fine  young  shade  trees,  the  property  of  the  Hon.  Chas. 
James  Faulkner,  who  held  in  all  about  800  acres  of 
valuable  land  adjacent  to  town.  As  the  weather  was 
very  warm  we  wanted  to  camp  on  this  lawn  to  get  the 
benefit  of  the  shade  there.  No  doubt  our  doing  so  was 


52 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


not  altogether  agreeable  to  Mrs.  Faulkner  and  daughters 
who  still  occupied  the  fine  mansion  at  the  rear  of  the 
lawn.  But  as  Mr.  Faulkner  had  seen  fit  to  join  his 
fortune  with  that  of  the  Rebellion,  it  was  hardly  any  part 
of  our  business  to  be  consulting  his  interests,  or  the 
wishes  of  his  household,  though  Mrs.  Faulkner  used  to 
claim  to  be  a good  Union  woman.  She  protested  that 
she  was  such,  to  the  Union  soldiers,  at  least,  fortifying 
this  claim  on  one  occasion,  by  saying  that  she  “would 
not  give  a cent  for  a woman  that  did  not  have  a mind 
of  her  own — would  you?”  Subsequent  events  seemed 
to  show  that  the  lady  did  protest  too  much. 

(177)  Martinsburg  at  this  time  was  a thrifty  town  of 
several  thousand  inhabitants,  situated  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad,  and  was 
noted  for  the  general  loyalty  of  its  inhabitants.  There 
was  always  an  air  of  welcome  to  us  about  the  place. 


53 


CHAPTER  V. 


(178)  Col.  Klunk  during  the  time  the  regiment  was 
straggling  about  in  the  Cumberland  Valley,  sent  in  his 
resigination,  upon  the  plea  of  sickness  in  his  family,  and 
while  stationed  at  Martinsburg  he  received  notice  that  it 
had  been  accepted.  This  left  the  regiment  with  Major 
Curtis  as  the  only  field  officer  with  it,  Lieut.  Col.  North- 
cott  being  still  a prisoner. 

(179)  Our  regiment  remained  on  the  Faulkner  lawn 
until  the  25th,  when  we  moved  our  camp  to  the  north- 
west side  of  the  town,  where  the  other  troops  were 
encamped.  We  stayed  at  Martinsburg  about  two  and  a 
half  months.  While  we  were  here  Quartermaster  Gen. 
Meigs  inspected  the  troops  at  this  place.  Also  while 
at  this  place  there  was  a grand  parade  and  review  of  the 
troops  on  the  occasion  of  the  presentation  of  a flag  to  the 
First  New  York  Cavalry.  Col.  McReynolds  of  that 
regiment  making  on  that  occasion  a short  speech. 

(180)  September  25th.  fifty  men  of  the  regiment  were 
detailed  to  cook  rations  for  the  troops  passing  from  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  to  Gen.  Grant’s  army  at  Chata- 
nooga.  The  next  day  part  of  the  Eleventh  Corps  passed 
through  by  rail  going  to  join  Grant.  The  next  day 
after  that,  Gen.  Howard,  commander  of  the  Eleventh 
Corps,  passed  over  the  railroad  following  his  troops.  A 
salute  was  fired  in  his  honor  as  he  passed.  One  day 
later  some  more  troops  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
(part  of  the  Twelfth  Corps)  followed  on  after  the 
others. 

(181)  While  we  were  at  this  point  a considerable 
number  of  the  boys  of  the  Twelfth  got  furloughs.  Perti- 
nent to  the  subject  of  furloughs  may  be  mentioned  here 
an  incident  of  the  many  illustrating  the  humors  of  camp 
life.  There  were  two  brothers  in  Company  I,  Van  and 
Tom.  While  we  were  in  Pennsylvania  during  Lee’s 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


invasion  of  that  state,  Van  became  sick  and  we  left  him 
behind  on  leaving  there ; and  during  our  stay  at  Martins- 
burg  Tom,  not  having  heard  from  Van,  and  not  knowing 
whether  he  was  alive  or  not,  became  uneasy  about  him. 
So  he  made  an  application  to  get  a furlough  to  go  to 
hunt  his  brother  up;  but  he  failed  to  get  it.  Some  days 
after  this  Tom,  it  seemed,  had  been  in  too  close  prox- 
imity to  some  fellow  who  had  been  looking  on  the  wine, 
when  it  was  red  (or  something  of  that  kind)  getting  a 
sniff  perhaps  of  his  breath,  and  Tom’s  sensibilities  were 
somewhat  aroused.  In  this  condition  Tom  got  to  thinking 
about  the  case  of  Van,  and  becoming  somewhat 
desperate  he  said  that  he  was  going  to  apply  again  for  a 
furlough  to  hunt  him  up.  Adding  that  if  he  did  not  get 
one  he  would  go  anyhow.  “I’m  going  by  thunder,”  said 
he,  “I  don't  care  if  the  war  stops!” 

(182)  It  happened  that  Tom’s  second  application 
failed.  He  thought  better  of  it,  and  concluded  that  he 
would  not  go  without  a furlough  and  the  war  went  on. 
It  should  be  said  that  in  due  time  Van  returned  to  the 
regiment. 

(183)  Referring  to  a diary  kept  by  one  of  the  boys 
of  the  Twelfth,  it  is  seen  that  a number  of  prisoners 
was  captured  “near  North  Mountain”  on  October  16th. 
These  are  doubtless  the  prisoners  referred  to  by  Maj. 
Bristor,  then  Captain  of  Company  H,  in  the  following 
account,  after  his  first  telling  about  the  capture  of  a Rebel 
captain,  a spy. 

(184)  I was  in  command  of  the  post  at  Kearneysville, 
Jefferson  county,  West  Virginia,  for  about  two  months 
during  the  summer  and  fall  of  ’63.  While  in  command 
at  that  post  a loyal  citizen  came  to  my  headquarters  about 
11  o’clock  one  night  and  informed  me  that  the  Rebel  spy 
Capt.  Anderson  was  at  a farm  house  some  three  miles 
distant,  and  near  Col.  Porterfields  house.  I at  once  had 
sixteen  of  my  men  wake  up,  and  called  for  two  men  to 
volunteer  to  go  on  a very  hazardous  expedition.  To  my 


56 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 

surprise  the  entire  sixteen  volunteered  to  go.  I was  not 
very  much  surprised,  however,  for  my  men  were  always 
ready  for  duty  when  called  upon. 

(185)  I selected  two  of  the  youngest  of  the  Six- 
teenth, whose  names  I believe  were  James  P.  Murphy 
and  William  Watkins,  I then  started  these  two  men  direct- 
ing them  to  follow  the  citizen  to  the  house  where  Ander- 
son was,  about  a mile  beyond  our  outer  pickets.  The 
men  were  told  by  their  guide  that  he  thought  Anderson 
was  in  a certain  room.  The  two  brave  young  soldiers 
carefully  and  quietly  worked  their  way  into  the  room,  up 
to  the  bed  where  Anderson  was  sleeping,  and  demanded 
his  surrender,  before  he  knew  a LTnion  soldier  of  a soul 
was  near  him.  They  forbade  his  speaking  a word  above 
a low  whisper,  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  They  took  him  out 
of  the  house  without  ever  waking  the  family,  and  brought 
him  to  my  quarters  about  3 o’clock  in  the  morning. 

(186)  When  they  awoke  me  I questioned  the  prisoner 
who  was  represented  to  me  as  a Rebel  spy,  and  he 
claimed  to  be  a private  citizen  from  London  county  Vir- 
ginia, and  said  that  he  was  coming  the  next  day  to  give 
himself  up.  I asked  him  why  he  would  give  himself  up 
if  he  was  a private  citizen.  He  replied  that  he  had  got  a 
Yankee  suit  from  a friend  and  he  thought  that  he  had 
better  come  and  tell  me  about  it  for  fear  that  he  might 
be  taken  for  a spy  or  something. 

(187)  But  he  was  identified  by  citizens  of  that  county 
(Jefferson)  as  a spy,  whose  name  was  Anderson.  I 
sent  him  to  Martinsburg,  and  turned  him  over  to  Col. 
McReynolds,  who  was  then  in  command  at  that  point. 
He  sent  him  to  Fort  McHenry  where  he  (Anderson)  was 
tried,  and,  I have  been  informed  hanged. 

(188)  A few  nights  after  this,  one  of  the  “Louisiana 
Tigers,”  who  had  been  disbanded  on  account  of  their 
officers  not  being  able  to  do  anything  with  them,  was 
strolling  about  through  the  country  foraging  and  etc.,  and 
finally  got  caught  in  the  dark,  and  when  at  a house  near 


57 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


that  of  Col.  Porterfield,  in  which  neighborhood  Maj. 
Gilmore  was  camped,  he  inquired  the  way  to  his  camp. 
The  lady  being  a Union  woman,  directed  him  right 
towards  my  camp.  He  came  to  my  outerpickets,  and 
one  of  them  came  into  camp  with  him  talking  all  the  time 
as  if  he,  the  picket,  was  a Rebel.  A corporal  by  the  name 
of  A.  H.  Hull,  brought  him  in. 

(189)  As  soon  as  the  Rebel  came  to  my  quarters, 
everything  being  rather  gloomy  and  dark,  he  thought  he 
knew  my  voice,  calling  me  Captain,  taking  me  for  a 
Rebel  captain.  I talked  to  him  and  asked  him  if  he  had 
not  been  lost,  and  he  said  he  had  and  impressed  his 
delight  in  getting  back  to  camp,  for  he  wanted  to  go  the 
next  night  on  that  expedition  to  blow  up  Back  Creek 
bridge  “and  send  a lot  of  Yankees  to  hell,”  expecting  by 
blowing  up  the  bridge  to  cause  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
railroad  train  to  pitch  headlong  into  the  creek,  as  it 
thundered  along,  with  all  on  board  unconscious  of  their 
danger,  and  thus  cause  great  loss  of  life.  I told  him  that 
I would  see  that  he  should  go. 

(190)  This  Rebel  was  somewhat  intoxicated  and  gave 
the  whole  thing  away.  Just  as  I finished  telling  him  that 
he  should  go  along  with  the  party,  the  4 o’clock  train 
from  the  east  blew  its  whistle.  The  prisoner  laughed, 
and  said  he  knew  he  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Yankees, 
but  thought  he  would  see  how  much  he  could  fool  them 
or  draw  them  on.  I said,  “all  right  my  good  fellow  you 
have  drawn  us  on  and  we  shall  draw  Maj.  Gilmore  on.” 

(191)  He  told  me  during  the  conversation  that  Gil- 
more was  to  take  thirty  men  and  he  was  to  be  one  of 
them  and  blow  up  Back  Creek  bridge.  I placed  him 
under  close  guard,  and  soon  as  daylight  came  I sent  a 
message  to  Col.  McReynolds  giving  him  all  the  essential 
details  of  the  foregoing  account,  and  asked  him  to  send 
a detachmen  of  men  sufficient  to  capture  Gilmore’s  men ; 
requesting  him  also  to  send  an  officer  of  the  Twelfth 
West  Virginia  regiment  in  charge  of  the  detachment; 


58 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


and  if  my  memory  serves  me  rightly,  he  sent  Capt.  Mof- 
fatt,  of  Company  G. 

(192)  Our  men  got  to  the  bridge  about  two  hours 
before  Gilmore’s  band  came  and  were  secreted  or  in 
ambush,  when  they  arrived  and  began  to  drill  holes  in 
the  abutments  of  the  bridge.  At  this  our  men  hollowered 
out,  “What  are  you  doing  there,  you  Rebel  sons  of 

b h’s?”  They  surrendered  to  our  men.  The  captures 

were  four  lieutenants,  twenty-five  men,  and  thirty-one 
horses.  Major  Gilmore  it  seems,  had  stayed  at  a neigh- 
boring house  to  get  something  to  eat,  and  his  orderly  or 
adjutant  was  there  also.  So  we  captured  all  that  were 
at  the  bridge.  Lieut.  Billings  of  Shepherdstown,  W.  Va., 
was  one  of  the  prisoners. 

(193)  The  First  New  York  Cavalry  reported  this 
capture,  and  their  regiment  got  the  credit  of  it,  when  not 
a man  of  that  organization,  except  one,  who  went  along 
as  a messenger  or  orderly,  was  in  the  party  making  the 
capture. 

• (194)  During  the  latter  part  of  September  going  back 
a little,  the  Eighty-Seventh  Pennsylvania,  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-Second  and  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-Third  Ohio  regiments,  at  this  point,  were  ordered 
to  join  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  Eighth-Seventh 
had  been  in  the  same  command  with  the  Twelfth  for 
about  a year.  There  had  always  been  a friendly  feeling 
between  the  two  regiments,  so  the  night  before  the  former 
left  for  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  some  of  the  boys 
from  it  came  over  to  bid  our  boys  good-bye— and  it  was 
good-bye  forever  for  some  in  either  command. 

(195)  The  election  for  governor  of  Ohio  was  soon  to 
take  place,  and  the  Eighty-Seventh  boys  having  learned 
that  a considerable  number  of  the  above  named  Ohio 
troops,  say  a tenth,  were  going  to  vote  for  Valandigham 
for  governor,  were  not  at  all  pleased  that  they  should 
do  so.  One  of  the  Eighty-Seventh  apparently  having 
been  indulging  in  a little  strong  drink,  was  especially 


59 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


vehement  against  those  Ohio  boys  so  disposed  to  vote. 
He  threatened  what  the  boys  of  his  regiment  would  do 
in  case  they  were  to  remain  here,  and  those  Ohio  boys 
should  so  vote,  not  knowing  that  the  Ohio  troops  alluded 
to  were,  as  well  as  his  own  regiment  ordered  to  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac.  He  urged  our  boys  to  use  violent  means 
against  any  of  the  Ohio  boys  at  this  point,  who  should 
vote  for  Valandigham  for  governor.  This  hostility  toward 
those  disposed  to  vote  for  him,  was  because  of  his  politi- 
cal cause  with  respect  to  the  war  and  its  prosecution. 

(196)  Our  boys  by  this  time  had  become  substantially 
a unit  in  sentiment  so  far  as  the  political  war  policy  of 
the  administration  was  concerned.  All  wrangling  con- 
cerning it  had  ceased.  And  right  here  may  be  given  a 
strikingly  significant  and  truthful  observation,  made 
perhaps  not  far  from  this  time,  by  Lieut.  Blaney,  of  Com- 
pany D,  showing  the  rapid  evolution  of  ideas,  the  swift 
progress  and  revolution  of  the  sentiment  of  the  time  and 
more  especially  the  potent  virtue  of  the  knock  down 
argument,  to  which  class  of  dispution,  war  preeminently 
belongs.  Because  of  the  justice,  truth  and  significance 
of  this  remark,  it  should  not  be  omitted  from  this  record, 
imperfect  though  it  must  necessarily  be. 

(197)  In  conversation  Lieut.  Blaney  observed:  “I 
have  noticed  that  our  boys  have  never  objected  to  the 
Emancipation  proclamation  since  being  in  a battle.”  This 
remark  was  true,  it  is  believed,  without  an  exception. 

(198)  If  the  war  had  never  come  these  soldiers  many 
of  them,  would  doubtless  never  have  been  convinced  of 
the  justifiableness  of  emancipation  in  that  contingency. 
But  being  brought  into  battle,  and  thus  required  to  do  as 
best  they  might,  what  they  could  do  to  settle  the  issues 
involved  by  the  knock  down  argument  in  its  last  and  dire 
extremity — the  employment  of  the  bludgeon  of  war;  and 
seeing  their  comrades  falling  around  them,  light  quickly 
struck  in  on  their  minds  with  a telling  force.  The  con- 
version was  as  sudden  it  seems,  as  that  of  Paul  spoken 


60 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


of  in  the  scriptures.  They  suddenly  saw,  in  this  death 
struggle,  that  anything  that  the  enemy  was  opposed  to; 
that  whatever  would  tend  to  weaken  or  cripple  him ; that 
any  means  justified  by  civilized  warfare  to  conquer  the 
enemy  they  should  favor  and  employ;  and  hence  the 
prejudice,  the  tradition  and  the  education  of  years  were 
swept  away  as  if  by  a flash  of  lightning,  when  the  ordeal 
of  battle  came.  There  was  no  longer  on  the  part  of  the 
boys  any  considerate  regard  for  the  interests  of  the 
enemy,  nor  any  further  objection  to  the  emancipation  of 
the  negroes. 

(199)  Another  incident  of  the  war  illustrating  how 
fast  men  learned  during  the  war,  may  as  well  as  not  be 
given  here,  although  it  occurred  at  a later  period.  Adjt. 
G.  B.  Caldwell,  in  a conversation  one  day  regarding  the 
employment  of  negroes  as  soldiers  said : “When  I went 
into  the  service  at  first  I thought  that  it  would  be  a 
humiliation  and  disgrace  to  me  if  I had  to  serve  in  an 
army  where  negro  soldiers  were  employed;”  but  now, 
said  he,  “I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they  have  as 
good  right  to  be  killed  as  I.” 

(200)  It  is  very  probable  that  Adjt.  Caldwell  might 
have  spent  all  his  days,  if  the  times  had  been  peaceful, 
without  ever  having  changed  his  views  in  regard  to  the 
matter  of  making  soldiers  of  negroes,  although  he  is  a 
man  of  quick  perception.  But  just  as  it  is  said  of  men 
in  a drowning  condition  that  all  the  events  of  their  past 
lives  come  quickly  before  them ; so  in  time  of  war  and 
the  peril  of  battle,  mens  minds  are  quickened,  common- 
sense  asserts  itself  and  men  perceive  quickly  the  wisdom 
or  unwisdom  of  that  which  in  the  piping  times  of  peace, 
they  would  not  see  at  all. 

(201)  On  September  28th,  we  were  paid  two  months’ 
pay,  this  being  $13  per  month  for  the  privates,  or  $26 
for  the  two  months.  This  was  always  a welcome  event 
with  the  soldiers.  They  had  money  now  to  spend  with 
the  sutler ; but  their  money  did  not  go  far  in  buying  from 


61 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


him.  Canned  peaches  were.df  not  just  at  this  time,  later 
in  the  war  $1.25  and  tomatoes  $1.00  per  can. 

(202)  While  we  were  here  at'  Martinsburg,  the  boys 
or  many  of  them,  who  were  taken  as  prisoners  at  Win- 
chester, a few  months  before,  were  returned  to  the  regi- 
ment, being  ordered  by  the  government  to  take  up  arms 
again,  although  they  had  been  let  out  of  prison  only  on 
parole,  and  not  exchanged.  This  action  was  taken  by 
the  authorities  at  Washington  in  retaliation  for  the  con- 
duct of  the  Rebel  authorities  in  putting  the  prisoners  taken 
and  paroled  by  Gen.  Grant  at  Vicksburg,  back  into  the 
field  again,  without 'their  having  been  exchanged. 

(203)  While  the  boys  of  the  Twelfth,  who  were 
captured  at  Winchester,  were  held  as  prisoners  they  were 
kept  at  Richmond,  Va.,  and  although  they  were  not  held 
long  until  they  were  paroled,  their  experience  of  prison 
life  was  not  such  as  to  invite  another  trial  of  it.  In  the 
language  of  the  west  they  had  “got  all  they  wanted  of 
it.”  Before  any  of  our  boys  had  ever  been  prisoners, 
some  of  them  used  sometimes  to  threaten,  when  it  was 
difficult  to  get  furloughs,  that  they  would,  when  a chance 
offered  allow  themselves  to  be  taken  prisoners,  expecting 
in  that  case  to  be  soon  paroled  and  then  sent  home  from 
the  camp,  as  paroled  prisoners  on  furlough.  But  after 
the  prisoners  returned  to  the  regiment,  having  had  a taste 
of  prison  life  among  the  Rebels,  and  related  its  hardships 
to  their  comrades  there  was  no  longer  any  talk  among 
the  boys  of  allowing  themselves  to  be  captured  in  order 
that  they  might  in  that  way  get  a furlough. 

(204)  As  before  written  Lieut.  Bengough,  of  Com- 
pany F,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Winchester  on  Sunday, 
June  14th,  1863.  Shortly  after  this  his  widow  in  com- 
pany with  another  lady,  went  to  Winchester  to  recover 
the  body.  The  two  women  were  arrested  as  spies.  The 
interesting  story  of  their  capture  and  release,  is  thus 
related  by  the  then  Mrs.  Beugaugh,  now  as  then,  living 


62 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 

in  Pittsburgh,  leaving  out  her  preliminary  sketch  of  a trip 
from  Fairmont,  W.  Va.,  to  Pittsburgh  in  March,  1863 : 

TWO  WOMEN  OF  THE  WAR. 

(205)  Some  months  later,  I learned  of  the  death  of 
my  husband,  Lieut.  J.  T.  Beugough,  who  was  killed 
during  the  three  days  fight  at  Winchester.  F.  P.  Pier- 
pont,  Adjutant  General  of  West  Virginia,  sent  me  a 
telegram  to  that  effect  and  accompanied  by  my  sister-in- 
law,  Miss  Celia  Beugaugh,  principal  of  the  High  School 
in  Toledo  and  sister  of  the  present  pension  agent  at  Pitts- 
burgh, Harry  Beugaugh,  left  Pittsburg  for  Winchester  to 
recover  the  body.  My  late  husband  had  been  a lieutenant 
under  Gen.  Milroy  and  during  the  battle  the  firing  having 
ceased  in  his  direction,  being  tired,  he  with  his  command 
lay  down  to  rest;  as  he  slept  he  was  killed  by  a sharp- 
shooter. 

(206)  Arriving  at  the  headquarters -of  Gen.  Mulligan 
on  New  Creek,  Va.,  we  were  assigned  quarters  in  a big 
building,  which  we  subsequently  discovered  was  occupied 
as  a barracks  by  the  soldiers,  and  we  awoke  during  the 
night  to  find  the  room  filled  with  men.  Celia  was  greatly 
excited,  but  I calmed  her  fears  and  tucking  our  heads 
under  the  quilt  we  weathered  the  storm  until  the  soldiers 
filed  out  in  the  morning.  Mulligan  furnished  us  with  a 
pass  into  the  rebel  lines,  and  assured  us  he  had  personal 
friends  among  the  Confederates,  who  would  see  that  we 
were  properly  treated. 

(207)  After  walking  a few  miles  night  overtook  us, 
and  we  put  up  at  a house,  the  proprietor  of  which  agreed 
to  take  us  to  Winchester  for  $20.  In  the  morning  we 
got  into  a buggy,  I drove  the  horse  he  following  on  horse 
back  to  bring  back  the  rig.  It  was  a long  hot  ride,  and 
with  nothing  to  eat  but  cherries  we  were  almost  starved. 
Our  escort  would  not  approach  the  town  nearer  than  three 
miles,  he  was  afraid  of  losing  his  horses,  so  we  footed  it. 


63 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


(208)  I had  been  in  Winchester  before,  and  boarded 
at  a house  opposite  the  government  corral,  and  we 
thought  if  we  could  find  the  place,  we  might  be  accomo- 
dated for  the  night.  But  alas,  for  human  hopes,  and 
happiness,  we  discovered  there  were  many  roads  leading 
into  Winchester;  that  we  had  lost  our  bearings  and  were 
at  sea.  What  should  we  do  ? We  dare  not  make  inquiry, 
and  it  being  about  7 o’clock  in  the  evening  we  had  to 
conclude  quickly.  Entering  the  town  we  found  it  full  of 
rebel  soldiers.  They  paid  no  attention  to  us,  so  we  wan- 
dered about  for  some  time  without  success.  Finally  we 
met  a boy  about  10  years  old,  and  asked  him  the  name 
of  the  street  on  which  the  corral  was  situated,  “Where 
die  Yanks  used  to  keep  their  horses?”  he  interrogated, 
“Oh,  that’s  away  up  yander”  and  pointing  with  his  index 
finger  out  into  the  right  he  showed  us  the  way.  We  were 
a long  time  finding  the  place,  and  when  we  did,  how 
changed ; the  corral  was  tenantless,  and  the  house  we 
expected  to  lodge  in  presented  a deserted  appearance. 
With  fear  and  trembling  we  knocked  at  the  door  and  were 
admitted. 

(209)  The  lady  knew  me,  but  was  uncommunicative. 
She  gave  us  lodging  and  a supper  and  breakfast  of  salt 
junk,  for  which  we  paid  a fancy  price.  In  the  morning 
we  pursued  our  mission.  We  found  our  way  to  the  head- 
quarters of  Gen.  R.  E.  Lee,  who  gave  us  a pass  to  the 
fortifications  for  the  purpose  of  disinterring  the  body,  and 
one  to  the  hqspital  for  a squad  of  our  prisoners  to  rebury 
it  in  the  cemetery.  The  General  told  us  the  body  could 
not  be  shipped,  as  the  railroad  between  Winchester  and 
Martinsburg  had  been  torn  up. 

(210)  Having  obtained  the  passes  (which  I still  have 
in  my  possession)  the  General  required  us  to  report  at  his 
headquarters  after  our  work  had  been  accomplished — 
disobedience  in  this  respect  caused  us  much  suffering  and 
imprisonment  in  Castle  Thunder,  Richmond. 

(211)  We  buried  the  body  in  the  cemetery  and  went 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


to  our  boarding  house.  It  was  evening  and  a sad  one 
for  us ; our  hostess  had  changed  considerably  since  morn- 
ing— she  refused  us  anything  to  eat,  saying  there  was 
nothing  in  the  house.  We  had  money,  but  were  afraid  to 
go  out  to  purchase,  so  in  lieu  of  anything  better,  we  went 
outside  and  sat  on  the  doorstep.  We  sat  there  for  some 
time,  when  we  observed  a man  across  the  street,  close 
to  the  corral,  dressed  in  surgeon’s  uniform.  We  thought 
he  tried  to  arrest  our  attention,  but  were  afraid  to 
encourage  him ; he  disappeared  for  a time  around  the 
corner,  and  as  suddenly  appeared  this  time  on  our  side 
of  the  street  and  passing  close,  dropped  a note,  which  we 
read  in  our  room,  by  a light  of  a rag  burning  in  a saucer 
of  grease.  He  stated  in  the  note  that  he  was  Lieut. 
McAdams  of  a Pennsylvania  regiment,  the  number  of 
which  I cannot  recall,  that  he  was  a prisoner,  but  not  a 
surgeon,  having  borrowed  the  uniform  in  order  to  serve 
us ; we  were  prisoners  and  would  be  treated  as  spies.  “I 
will  bring  you  tea  and  hard-tack  from  the  hospital  about 
9 o’clock  tonight.”  He  kept  his  promise  dropping  the 
tea  and  crackers  as  he  had  the  note.  We  never  saw  nor 
heard  of  McAdams  since.  He  was  a man  between  '30 
and  35  years  of  age,  heavy  set,  with  sandy  hair. 

(212)  Between  12  and  1 o’clock  that  night,  we  stole 
out  of  the  house,  climbed  the  back  fence  and  made  for 
the  Romney  Road.  It  has  been  said  we  should  always 
hope  for  the  best,  and  at  the  same  time  be  prepared  for 
whatever  presents  itself.  When  we  found  ourselves  out 
in  the  open  country  terror  seized  us  and  brought  us  to 
a realization  of  the  situation.  The  chill  of  the  night, 
caused  us  to  shiver,  so  we  quickened  our  steps  in  the 
direction  of  the  hill  and  the  fort. 

(213)  We  could  see  over  the  misty  landscape,  the  Con- 
federate flag  floating  proudly  from  its  battlements.  We 
knew  the  Romney  Road  lay  back  of  the  fort,  so  we 
climbed  the  hill,  which  was  littered  with  the  bodies  of 
horses,  mules,  cannon  balls  and  unexploded  shells  which 


65 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


had  fallen  on  the  soft  hill  side  and  lay  in  pockets  made 
by  the  feet  of  the  artillery  horses  in  drawing  Early’s 
guns  into  position. 

(214)  The  haze  subsided  and  one  constellation  after 
another  appeared — that  bright  luminary,  the  moon, 
waded  her  way  through  now  and  then  gliding  behind  a 
cloud,  leaving  the  stars  on  duty,  there  appearing  with 
new  lustre,  covered  the  battle  field  with  a silver  sheet. 
All  nature  seemed  to  be  opened  to  our  eyes,  and  in  har- 
mony with  the  surroundings.  The  night  was  painfully 
quiet  the  only  audible  sound  we  heard,  was  the  lullaby 
sung  by  a little  stream  that  meandered  down  the  hill — 
the  night  birds  were  silent,  and  we  fancied  we  could  hear 
the  dripping  of  the  dew.  We  seemed  to  wander  in  a 
charmed  atmosphere,  and  would  not  have  been  surprised 
if  Mab  and  her  Peri’s  had  come  forth. 

(215)  A little  to  the  left  stood  the  guns  like  so  many 
sentinels  with  their  yawning  black  mouths — we  intended 
to  pass  them  but  they  looked  so  devilish  that  we  were 
afraid  and  took  the  longest  route  to  avoid  them.  We 
passed  the  fort  and  descended  the  hill,  often  looking  back 
to'  see  if  the  guns  were  following.  The  moon  neared 
the  shore  of  the  sky;  the  shadows  deepened  and  Celia 
declared  the  trees  were  walking,  she  being  a good  elocu- 
tionist declaimed— -“Night  showeth  knowledge  unto  night. 
There  is  no  speech  nor  language,  their  voice  is  not  heard ; 
yet  their  sound  goeth  forth  to  all  generations.” 

(216)  We  sat  down  and  huddled  close  together — we 
fancied  a mythical  presence  and  thought  we  saw  forms 
coming  out  of  the  recesses  of  the  mountains.  The  wind 
stirred  the  dying  embers  of  distant  camp  fires  into  flame, 
and  a lurid  glare  lit  the  heavens  like  a flash,  and  then  all 
was  dark.  It  was  near  morning  and  the  soft  faint  -streaks 
of  daylight  glimmered  through  the  right.  We  arbse  and 
drew  near  the  base  of  the  hill — in  the  distance  we  could 
see  the  long,  narrow  but  extremely  picturesque  Romney 
road,  with  its  widely  scattered,  antiquated  houses.  We 


66 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


sat  down  behind  a clump  of  bushes,  and  almost  scared 
the  lives  out  of  a flock  of  birds — they  flew  out  in  the 
myriads,  circling  our  heads  in  mingled  confusion,  chat- 
tering wildly,  but  soon  flew  away  leaving  us  in  possession 
of  the  field. 

(217)  As  the  day  advanced,  the  sun  rose  penetrated 
the  mist,  dried  our  dewy  clothes,  and  evoked  from  the 
flowers  their  morning  fragrance;  we  strolled  about 
gathering  bunches  of  white  and  purple  larkspur — as  we 
culled  we  neared  the  road.  We  were  on  the  lookout  for 
pickets,  when  a rifle  shot  rang  out  clear  and  sharp,  fol- 
lowed by  other  shots  in  quick  succession ; as  they 
ricocheted  in  and  out  of  the  mountain  passes,  rever- 
berated over  the  hills  and  through  the  valleys,  we  thought 
a whole  regiment  was  firing.  Then  we  heard  the  shrill 
but  musical  nots  of  the  bugle,  and  knew  there  was  infantry 
and  cavalry  at  a distance. 

(218)  We  retraced  our  steps  following  a cow-path 
that  wound  round  the  hill,  thinking  to  gain  the  road 
indirectly,  but  were  mistaken,  and  taking  a more  direct 
route,  found  ourselves  in  the  presence  of  three  pickets, 
playing  cards.  We  were  not  much  surprised  as  they 
had  been  uppermost  in  our  minds  for  we  had  wandered 
the  hill  all  night  to  avoid  them.  With  renewed  courage, 
bonnets  swinging  on  our  aims  and  carrying  our  posies,  we 
passed  by  acting  as  unconcerned  as  possible.  We  were 
not  interrupted — at  least  we  were  on  the  Romney  Road. 

(219)  We  walked  about  five  miles  and  being  hungry 
approached  a white  house  enclosed  within  an  open  fence 
with  a long  line  of  trees  in  front,  loadened  with  blood- 
red  cherries,  This  was  the  home  of  Betty  Jenkins,  a 
pleasant  faced  motherly  woman  of  about  40  years.  She 
welcomed  us,  and  we  examined  a large  wheel  ,that  stood 
in  front  of  the  mantel,  with  a hank  of  white  yarn  around 
it,  there  was  a smaller  one  in  the  corner,  which  was 
used  for  spinning.  These  wheels  were  a novelty  to  us, 


67 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


and  we  exhibited  so  much  ignorance  as  to  their  use, 
that  Betty  became  suspicious. 

(220)  When  we  told  her  we  northern  women,  she 
was  nearly  frightened  out  of  her  wits  and  was  afraid  to 
give  us  any  help.  We  told  her  we  were  almost  starved; 
she  then  told  us  to  go  up  stairs  to  a retired  room  and 
she  would  find  food.  Betty  managed  to  get  us  a good 
meal  and  we  remained  there  that  night.  With  the  first 
glimmer  of  dawn  we  were  on  deck.  Betty  prepared 
breakfast,  and  we  all  three  parted  crying. 

(221)  When  we  were  at  a distance  from  the  house, 
we  looked  back,  and  there  stood  Betty,  leaning  over  the 
gate,  shading  her  eyes  with  her  hand  waving  farewell. 
Dear,  friendly  Betty,  we  never  heard  of  her  again.  The 
beauty  of  the  morning  raised  our  spirits,  the  fresh  and 
invigorating  air  gave  us  strength.  The  sun  rose  in  all 
his  majesty  and  gilded  the  mountain  ranges.  In  the 
distance  we  saw  glittering  water  walled  around  by  hills. 
The  scenery  was  surpassing  in  grandeur  and  sublimity. 
The  trees  were  full  of  buds,  and  their  liquid  notes  filled 
the  air;  spotted  lizards  and  little  squirrels  ran  along 
the  fence  rails ; brown  rabbits  scurried  across  the 
meadows;  the  partridge  called  “Bob  White;”  and  the 
perfume  of  the  honey-suckle  scented  the  air.  The  fields 
were  covered  with  wild  flowers,  tall  red  poke-berry  stalks 
ornamnted  the  fence  corners,  and  berry  bushes  were 
white  with  blossom.  The  ravines  were  covered  with  dark 
velvety  moss,  and  silver  streams  of  murmuring  water  ran 
zig-zag  through  clumps  of  willows. 

(222)  We  had  walked  about  12  miles,  when  we  met 
a man  riding  on  a big  bay  horse,  lank  and  lean,  with  a 
bulged  out  pair  of  saddle  bags — he  seemed  friendly  but 
we  paid  no  attention.  As  we  rounded  a bend  in  the 
road  we  heard  dogs  barking  at  no  great  distance,  and 
knew  we  were  near  a farm  house.  The  house  was  situated 
below  the  level  of  the  road,  with  a running  stream  in 
front,  the  bosom  of  which  was  covered  with  ducks, 


68 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


geese  and  goslings.  We  descended  the  long  stairway- 
leading  down  from  the  pike,  and  entered  the  house.  There 
we  found  a very  old  man  and  a tall  woman,  the  latter 
playing  deaf  and  dumb,  afraid  to  say  anything  to 
strangers.  We  asked  for  food ; the  old  man  brought 
out  a piece  of  table  linen,  in  which  he  tied  up  meat, 
bread  and  cheese.  Our  Evangelist  carried  the  bundle 
to  the  top  of  the  steps,  and  told  us  how  far  and  what  way 
we  must  go  before  we  would  meet  Mulligan’s  scouts. 

(224)  Turning  off  the  road  we  sat  on  a log  and  ate 
ravenously.  Resuming  our  journey  we  found  our 
commisary  stores  a burden  and  threw  them  away.  The 
heat  was  oppressive  and  the  dust  suffocating,  so  we 
turned  off  the  high  way  and  sought  the  cool  forest, 
but  we  were  afraid  of  snakes  and  the  sharp  twigs  cut 
our  blistered  and  swollen  feet.  We  tried  to  wear  our 
shoes  but  could  not.  We  clambered  over  rocks,  logs 
and  low  thick  brush,  which  made  it  tiresome,  and  again 
were  forced  to  take  the  high  way.  We  limped  pain- 
fully while  we  tramped,  ankle  deep  in  dust,  under  a 
burning  sun. 

(225)  We  waded  the  north  and  south  branches  of  the 
Potomac.  The  water  was  low  but  transparent,  and  the 
river  bed  stony.  We  amused  ourselves,  while  laving 
our  blistered  feet,  gathering  beautiful  stones  of  many 
colors,  which  we  afterwards  threw  away — they  grew 
burdensome.  Twice  we  came  to  where  roads  or  paths 
converged,  and  were  at  a loss  to  know  which  one  to 
take,  but  Celia,  remembered  the  scriptural  injunction  that 
the  straight  path  was  the  right  path — therefore  we  turned 
neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left. 

(226)  We  saw  a house  in  the  distance  and  a few 
matronly  cows  and  sheep  in  a field,  whose  acquaintance 
we  tried  to  make,  but  they  would  have  none  of  it,  and 
throwing  their  tails  in  the  air  ran  off  bellowing — the 
poor  frightened  sheep  scattered  and  hid  in  the  bushes. 
We  entered  the  house  and  found  an  old  man  plaiting  a 


69 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


straw  hat  and  a woman  making  cherry  pies.  They  had 
little  to  say,  but  gave  us  milk  and  pie.  The  pie  had 
neither  shortening  nor  sugar — the  top  crust  was  burned 
while  the  bottom  was  dough.  We  drank  the  milk  and 
went  on. 

(227)  About  3 o’clock  we  encountered  a heavy  rain 
stonn,  accompanied  with  thunder  and  vivid  lightning, 
and  were  wet  through,  but  fortunately  the  storm  did 
not  continue  long  and  the  sun  coming  out  in  all  his  heat, 
soon  dried  our  clothes.  We  were,  now  about  18  miles 
from  Winchester,  four  miles  from  the  Cacapon  bridge 
and  nine  miles  from  Mulligan.  We  hobbled  along  as 
best  we  could  for  about  two  miles,  when  we  came  to  a 
house  on  the  roadside,  enclosed  by  a dilapidated  fence. 
A pump  and  wooden  drinking  trough  stood  in  front,  but 
there  was  no  appearance  of  horses  having  quenched 
their  thirst  at  the  trough  for  some  time,  the  ground  being 
unbroken  around  it.  A clucking  hen  strutted  noisily 
about,  and  a tribe  of  guineas  set  up  a fearful  cry  of 
alarm,  as  we  approached.  A man  and  woman  were 
hanging  over  the  garden  gate  quietly  chatting,  but  as 
soon  as  they  saw  us,  they  seemed  alarmed,  particularly 
the  woman.  She  eyed  us  carefully  and  impudently 
whispering  something  to  her  companion.  We  noticed 
the  agitation  and  felt  uneasy. 

(228)  We  had  walked  about  20  miles  but  the  meander- 
ings  of  the  road  added  a greater  distance.  It  was  late 
in  the  day,  and  the  absence  of  cattle  and  fowl  noticeable. 
We  anticipated  trouble  and  shied  into  the  woods.  We 
did  not  make  much  headway  on  account  of  the  dense 
growth  of  trees,  but  we  persevered  and  at  last  came  to 
the  Cacapon  water.  We  made  a detour  and  found  a 
tree  fallen  across  the  stream.  It  was  high  from  the 
water  and  Celia  could  not  cross  it.  I coaxed  and 
entreated,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  The  river  was  full  of 
water  snakes  and  the  banks  lined  with  villainous  looking 
frogs.  We  found  fault  with  each  other,  and  Celia 


70 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


resisting  my  entreaties,  blamed  me  for  the  escapade,  and 
she  quoted  scripture  to  fit  the  crime,  for  she  was  full  of 
texts — “He  that  cometh  not  in  by  the  door,  but  climeth 
up  some  other  way,  the  same  is  a thief,  and  robber.”  I 
saw  the  point  and  we  laughed  and  crossed  the  bridge. 

(229)  We  were  22  miles  from  Winchester,  and  five 
miles  from  Mulligan  scouts.  We  had  proceeded  about 
50  yards  on  the  other  side  of  the  bridge,  when  we 
were  halted  by  a handsome  young  cavalry  officer,  Lieut. 
Bell,  nephew  of  Gen.  Bell  of  the  C.  S.  A.  He  touched 
his  cap  and  accosted  us — “Good  evening  ladies,  have  you 
got  a pass?”  Travel-stained  foot-sore,  faces  blistered, 
hungry  and  utterly  wretched,  we  hung  our  heads,  but 
gave  no  answer — we  were  too  miserable. 

(230)  The  daylight  faded  slowly,  the  night  grew 
chilly  and  the  wind  stirred  the  bending  grass.  The  setting 
sun  shot  slanting  spikes  from  the  golden  west,  through 
the  trees  and  across  the  road.  The  cavalry  horse  stood 
at  a distance  pawing  the  dust,  and  clanking  his  equip- 
ments, every  now  and  then  lifting  his  head  with  a majes- 
tic air,  looked  toward  his  rider,  who  stood  with  bowed 
head  rubbing  the  buttons  up  and  down  with  his  fingers, 
which  adorned  the  front  of  his  cavalry  jacket.  It  was 
June — the  sun  had  set  the  shadows  deepened,  and  the 
katy-dids  had  almost  ceased  their  rasping. 

(231)  There  we  three  stood,  in  the  gloom  of  approach- 
ing night,  with  no  sound  to  break  the  silence,  except 
the  lonely  quavering  notes  of  the  forest  birds.  Bats 
flitted  to  and  fro  and  circled  our  heads — the  owl  hooted, 
and  fire  flies  lit  the  ravines.  We  buried  our  feet  in  the 
dust  that  he  might  not  see  their  nakedness,  and  with 
heart-rending  sobs,  cried  as  we  -had  never  cried  before. 
We  were  captured  and  we  knew  that  meant  on  to 
Richmond. 

(232)  Lieut  Bell  told  us  we  had  been  arrested  as  spies 
by  order  of  Gen.  R.  E.  Lee.  We  begged  we  should  not 
be  made  walk  back,  for  we  thought  we  would  have  to 

?1 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 

tramp  the  whole  road  over  again.  He  assured  us  such 
would  not  be  the  case,  that  he  would  take  us  to  a house 
in  the  woods,  owned  by  a Mrs.  Smith,  where  Miss  Bell, 
his  sister,  would  search  us.  Having  walked  about  half 
a mile,  we  came  to  a defile  in  the  mountains,  which  rose 
very  high  on  either  side,  with  an  opening  at  the  top 
large  enough  to  see  a patch  of  sky,  studded  with  misty 
stars.  Our  captor  told  us  these  mountains  were  covered 
with  perpetual  snow  and  ice.  In  this  gap  lived  Mrs. 
Smith,  with  whom  we  were  to  remain  for  the  night. 

(233)  The  house  was  two  storied,  painted  white,  and 
backed  close  to  the  mountain.  The  windows  were  vine 
covered  and  here  and  there  a glimmer  of  light  shone 
through  making  the  green  look  greener.  Opposite  the 
house  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  gap,  close  to  what 
had  once  been  a barn,  stood  a lot  unsheltered  wagons, 
buggies  and  stage  coaches  in  a dilapidated  condition. 

(234)  At  the  sound  of  approaching  foot  steps  Mrs. 
Smith  appeared  in  the  door,  with  a grease-saucer  light, 
and  behind  her  an  old  aunty,  with  her  head  bound  up 
in  a yellow  bandana.  Dinah  was  greatly  agitated  when 
she  saw  us  approach  in  the  shadows,  and  throwing  up 
her  hands  exclaimed.  “Fo  de  lord,  misses,  dey  is  de 
Yanks!”  We  knew  my  aunties  remarks,  we  had  been 
anticipated. 

(235)  Mrs.  Smith  was  a neat  little  dark-eyed  woman, 
with  hair  and  complexion  to  match  her  eyes.  She  wore 
a gray  flannel  dress  of  her  own  weaving,  cotton  material 
being  out  of  the  question.  She  was  greatly  impoverished, 
and  told  us  her  husband  used  to  run  a line  of  stages, 
but  the  Yanks  had  taken  their  horses — there  was  not  a 
man  about  the  place,  they  were  in  the  Confederate  Army ; 
that  auntie  and  she  had  rolled  the  snow  into  big  balls 
during  the  winter,  and  dumped  them  into  the  ice  house — - 
that  ice  water  was  the  only  luxury  she  had.  We  drank 
some  of  it  and  were  refreshed.  After  supper  we  were 
assigned  to  a comfortable  room,  with  a good  bed  in  it, 


72 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


of  which  we  stood  in  need.  In  the  morning  we  were 
furnished  with  water  and  other  necessary  toilet  articles. 
After  making  ourselves  presentable  we  wet  a lot  of 
letters  in  the  basin  and  rubbed  them  into  pulp,  that  they 
might  not  be  found  in  our  possession,  when  Miss  Bell 
would  search  us — we  mixed  the  pulp  with  wood  ashes 
on  the  hearth,  until  all  trace  was  obliterated.  We  were 
searched,  but  nothing  was  found  upon  our  person.  We 
got  the  letters  from  wounded  Union  soldiers  in  the  Win- 
chester hospital. 

(236)  Next  morning  after  breakfast  Lieut.  Bell  and 
a lot  of  troopers,  made  their  appearance  with  a squeaky 
wagon,  drawn  by  two  half-starved  mules.  He  apologized 
for  the  conveyance,  saying  nothing  better  could  be  had. 
After  bidding  good-bye  to  Mrs.  Smith  and  Dinah  we 
got  into  the  wagon  and  were  soon  on  our  way  back  to 
Winchester.  We  had  not  proceeded  far,  when  a wheel 
slid  off,  almost  throwing  us  out  of  the  wagon.  Our 
driver  with  a hickory  linck  pin  and  some  assistance 
repaired  the  damage.  We  traveled  all  day  and  at  night 
put  up  at  an  inn,  where  the  roads  divided  in  different 
tracks. 

(237)  Our  cavalry  picketed  their  horses  in  a field 
nearby,  that  they  might  eat  grass,  there  being  neither  oats 
nor  hay  to  give  them.  Our  guard  told  us  their  horses 
were  starving  and  had  already  become  too  weak  for 
effective  duty. 

(238)  After  supper  we  were  given  a comfortable 
room  furnished  with  an  old-fashioned  bed,  decorated 
with  high-colored  hangings ; a picture  of  Washington 
relieved  the  wall ; three  chairs,  a rocker  and  a dragon- 
legged table  completed  the  furnishment.  A purple 
wistaria  covered  the  window  and  climbed  to  the  roof. 
Our  guard  slept  on  the  soft  side  of  the  porch,  first 
exacting  a promise  from  us  that  we  would  not  try  to 
escape.  We  promised,  and  being  as  tired  as  they,  slept 
the  sleep  of  youth. 


73 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


(239)  In  the  morning,  furnished  with  conveniences, 
we  made  our  toilet,  while  our  gallant  cavalrymen  made 
theirs  at  the  horse  trough.  After  a scanty  meal  of 
corn  bred,  rye  coffee  and  sorghum  molasses,  the  lady  of 
the  house  announced  all  was  in  readiness  for  our 
departure.  She  bade  us  a friendly  good-bye  and  we  took 
the  road  again.  We  traveled  slowly,  and  as  we  neared 
Winchester  we  found  fence,  bush,  and  tree  limbs  orna- 
mented with  old  clothes,  which  had  been  taken  from  the 
battle  field  and  dyed  butter-nut.  The  scenery  was  not 
improved  by  the  accession.  Finally  we  reached  Win- 
chester and  Gen.  Lee’s  headquarters.  The  General  was 
not  in,  but  the  room  was  filled  with  officers  of  all  grades 
and  rank.  Uninvited  we  seated  ourselves  and  listened  to 
a tirade  from  Maj.  Bridgeford  on  spies  in  particular  and 
Yankee  women  in  general.  We  were  too'  miserable  to 
reply.  Celia  reminded  me  that  we  were  in  the  hands 
of  the  Philistines,  and  might  as  well  hang  our  harps  on 
the  willows,  for  how  could  we  sing  in  that  strange  land. 

(240)  We  waited  an  hour  or  more,  when  we  heard 
the  clatter  of  horses  hoofs  outside,  a dismount  and  Gen. 
Lee  entered,  tall,  graceful,  refined  and  haughty.  Touch- 
ing his  cap  and  bidding  us  “good  morning”  he  repri- 
manded us  for  our  disobedience,  ending  with  the  an- 
nouncement that  we  must  go  to  prison.  Major  Bridge- 
ford  made  out  the  necessary  papers,  Gen.  Lee  signed 
them,  and  then,  on  to  Richmond,  guarded  by  cavalry. 

(241)  We  passed  a hapless  night  and  in  the  morning 
took  the  stage  for  Staunton,  Va.  We  traveled  up  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  and  saw  Gen.  Lee’s  whole  army,  as 
they  marched  down  the  Shenandoah,  and  on  to  Gettys- 
burg. 

(242)  When  we  got  hungry,  our  guard  picked  cherries 
for  us,  and  begged  slap-jacks  and  bonny-clabber  from  the 
surrounding  farm  houses,  some  of  which  we  exchanged 
with  a wounded  rebel,  riding  on  the  top  of  the  coach,  for 
maple  molasses. 


74 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


(243)  When  we  came  to  Mount  Jackson,  the  coach 
stopped  at  a tavern,  kept  by  a brother  of  the  man,  who 
shot  Col.  Ellsworth.  It  was  a beautiful  spot.  The  inn 
was  old  but  picturesque,  and  built  on  a little  rise.  A 
couple  of  wide-spreading  trees  espaliered  across  its  front. 
At  the  side  of  the  house,  a row  of  oleanders  contracted 
their  bloom  with  the  green  of  the  foliage,  and  a cy-press 
vine,  trained  on  strings,  covered  the  windows.  A 
gourd  vine  clambered  up  and  over  the  wood  shed,  almost 
concealing  the  door,  and  compelling,  Julius,  himself  to 
double  himself  when  he  went  in  and  out  for  wood.  Our 
host  was  a long-jawed,  dark-skinned  man,  and  had  little 
to  say,  but  his  wife  made  up  for  the  deficiency.  She  flew 
at  us  in  a rage,  called  us  names  and  likened  us  to  a lot 
of  thieving  Yankee  soldiers,  who  she  said,  had  stolen  her 
chickens  and  robbed  her  onion  bed.  She  refused  us 
anything  to  eat,  and  said  we  should  not  sleep  in  her 
house  that  night.  We  made  no  answer,  allowing  her 
to  have  her  way.  We  went  out  into  the  orchard  and 
sat  on  a bench  under  an  apple  tree,  where  a robin  perched 
on  the  top-most  limb  cheered  us  with  his  sweetest 
evening  song. 

(244)  A genuine  suothern  mammy  with  her  kinky 
hair,  plaited  and  tied  in  wads  and  knots,  stood  over  a 
big  iron  kettle  stirring  soap.  She  looked  askance  at  us, 
not  daring  to  speak,  but  we  knew  by  her  actions  that  we 
had  her  sympathy.  Having  sat  there  about  an  hour,  Mrs. 
Jackson  remorseful  and  relenting  asked  us  in  to  supper. 

(245)  When  bed  time  came  we  were  given  a large 
square  room  (with  a bare  floor)  lighted  with  a tallow  dip. 
A low  post  bed,  two  chairs  and  a looking  glass  com- 
pleted the  furnishment,  with  the  exception  of  two  pictures, 
lacking  resemblence  to  anything  we  ever  saw,  hung  upon 
the  whitewashed  walls.  In  the  morning  we  breakfasted 
and  then  set  out  for  Staunton.  It  was  a lovely  day,  the 
blossoms  of  summer  and  green  of  the  foliage  were  very 
attractive.  The  beauty  fo  the  valley  was  beyond  descrip- 


75 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


tion,  with  its  silvery  pools  and  trickling  streams,  moss 
covered  rocks  and  hedges  of  wild  roses.  The  song  birds 
whistled  and  thrilled,  and  the  unceasing  notes  of  the 
insect  tribes  filled  the  woods. 

(246)  At  Staunton  we  were  comfortably  housed,  but 
had  nothing  to  eat.  We  should  have  gone  supperless  to 
bed,  but  for  the  shrewdness  of  a colored  chambermaid 
who,  under  pretense  of  making  the  bed,  got  into  our 
room,  and  without  a sign  of  recognition  began  to  beat 
the  pillows,  spread  the  quilts  and  make  a fuss  generally. 
She  attracted  our  attention  by  the  unusual  length  of  time 
it  took  her  to  perform  the  work.  She  gave  us  a significant 
look  and  passed  out. 

(247)  The  guard  who  paced  up  and  down  the  hall 
way  looked  in  to  see  if  all  was  right,  locked  the  door  and 
we  were  alone  for  the  night.  We  examimned  the  bed  and 
found  about  a dozen  biscuits  under  the  quilts  and  pillows, 
and  a quart  bucket  full  of  tea  under  the  bed. 

(248)  In  the  morning  we  informed  our  guard  of  the 
inhospitable  treatment,  and  he  sent  the  provost  marshal 
to  look  after  us.  He  immediately  ordered  the  hotel 
keeper  to  bring  us  down  to  the  table,  which  he  did,  but  he 
took  revenge  by  putting  us  at  a little  table  in  the  centre 
of  the  dinning  room  making  us  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes. 
When  we  had  eaten  Celia  wrote  with  a piece  of  crayon, 
“Yankee  Table”  on  our  table,  which  was  considered 
audacious  by  the  regular  boarders. 

(249)  Before  leaving  the  hotel;  we  gave  the  chamber- 
maid, who  had  befriended  us,  a $1  greenback,  the  ribbon 
off  our  hat  and  a pair  of  gloves.  We  traveled  by  rail 
from  Staunton  to  Richmond.  When  the  train  stopped  at 
different  stations,  we  were  almost  suffocated  by  the 
crowd  that  scrambled  up  the  sides  of  the  car  and  poked 
their  heads  through  the  windows  to  see  what  Yankee 
women  looked  like. 

(250)  When  we  arrived  at  Richmond,  we  were 
obliged  to  walk  some  distance  from  the  station  to  Castle 


76 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


Thunder,  being-  followed  by  the  curious  of  both  sexes.  We 
were  taken  into  the  Provost  Marshal’s  office  where  we 
found  the  prison  authorities  selecting  nine  captains  to  be 
hung,  in  case  the  Federal  government  hanged  Fitzhugh 
Lee.  Capt.  Rowand  of  the  Virginia  cavalry  was  one  of 
them.  The  Captain  came  down  with  us,  and  when  we 
entered  the  Provost  Marshal’s  office,  he  was  greeted  by 
Maj.  Turner  of  Libby  prison,  with  the  cheering  an- 
nouncement, “Well  Captain  you  are  just  in  time  to  draw 
your  death  out.’’  Whether  he  drew  it  or  not,  we  do  not 
know,  for  we  were  marched  out  into  a tunnel-like  passage 
and  up  a rickety  pair  of  stairs  into  a cell,  12  by  15  feet, 
with  no  furnishment.  There  was  one  window  of  many 
small  panes,  with  a large  sill,  which  we  used  for  a 
seat. 

(251)  Maj.  Alexander,  commander  of  the  prison, 
frequently  cautioned  us  to  keep  our  heads  inside  the 
window  for  fear  we  might  be  shot.  There  were  other 
women  prisoners  in  the  Castle,  but  they  were  waiting  to 
be  sent  through  on  the  next  truce  boat*  there  being  no 
charges  against  them.  Among  them  was  Mrs.  Surgeon 
McCandless,  of  Morgantown,  W.  Va. 

(252)  We  were  searched  by  an  old  white  headed  man, 
whom  the  prisoners  called  “Anti-Christ he  did  not 
take  our  money  some  $75  or  $80.  We  afterwards  heard 
the  old  man  was  hung  with  the  Wirtz  gang. 

(253)  An  order  came  from  the  Confederate  authori- 
ties to  send  the  other  women  home.  Major  Alexander 
told  them  to  be  ready  to  leave  early  next  morning  at  the 
same  time  asking  for  the  Bengough  women.  We  answered 
to  our  names,  when  he  informed  us  we  were  held  as 
spies  and  would  be  forwarded  to  some  place  in  South 
Carolina,  for  safe  keeping.  We  cried  bitterly  when  the 
other  women  left. 

(251)  Towards  evening'  the  Major  bettered  our  con- 
dition ; he  sent  us  a mattress,  pillows  and  covering,  and 
two  colored  women  to  wait  upon  us.  We  slept  little  that 


77 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


night,  feeling  horribly  alone.  The  moonlight  flooded  the 
room ; we  got  up  and  looked  out  over  the  James  river;  we 
wondered  what  our  friends  were  doing  at  home,  if  they 
thought  of  us,  and  if  we  should  ever  see  them  again. 
We  asked  permission  to  burn  the  gas  all  night,  and  it  was 
granted.  Then  the  lapse  of  time  had  its  effect,  and  we 
adjusted  our  lives  to  suit  the  situation. 

(255)  The  food  we  got  was  not  nourishing.  It  con- 
sisted of  bread  and  coffee  made  of  porched  rye.  We  paid 
$14  in  green  backs  for  a pound  of  tea.  It  was  poor  in 
quality,  but  we  preferred  it  to  the  rye. 

(256)  A Chaplain  visited  us  every  day,  and  always 
left  Bibles.  We  asked  him  if  he  could  not  find  some 
other  literature;  in  a few  days  he  returned  bringing  a 
beautifully  illustrated  volume  of  “Dno  Quixote.”  He 
must  have  given  us  up  for  lost  souls  for  he  never  came 
again.  We  read  the  book  over  and  over — criticized  it 
and  quarreled  over  the  criticisms. 

(257)  One  day  we  saw  a long  line  of  rebel  soldiers 
driving  a large  drove  of  cattle  along  Cary  street;  each 
soldier  had  a hoop-skirt  about  his  neck,  and  everything 
conceivable  in  shoes,  dry  goods,  and  notions  tied  to  each 
hoop.  Then  we  learned  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  had  been 
fought,  and  the  captured  cattle  belonged  to  Pennsylvania. 
After  that  our  fare  was  varied  with  fresh  beef — once  we 
got  a dried  apple  pie,  baked  without  shortening,  on  a 
saucer,  but  it  tasted  better  than  any  pie  we  had  ever  eaten 
before  or  since. 

(258)  Shortly  after  the  hoop-skirt  brigade  had  passed, 
about  1,000  Yankee  prisoners  were  marched  up  the  same 
street  and  housed  in  an  old  building  opposite  Castle 
Thunder.  They  were  given  meat  and  bread.  One  of 
the  men  after  eating  his  meat  threw  the  bone  out  on 
the  pavement,  the  guard  instantly  fired  into  the  crowd, 
taking  the  arm  off  a fine  looking  man,  without  provoca- 
tion. We  saw  him  carried  to  the  hospital  on  a stretcher, 
the  blood  streaming  through  canvas  on  to  the  pave- 


78 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


ment.  John  Brown,  of  Allegheny,  present  post  com- 
mander of  128,  was  among  that  crowd  of  prisoners. 

(259)  We  received  frequent  visits  from  people  of  note. 
Our  greenbacks  were  borrowed  to  show  to  Jeff  Davis, 
Gov.  Wise,  Judah  P.  Benjamin  and  Maj.  Turner — they 
were  promptly  returned. 

(260)  One  day  Maj.  Alexander  told  us  he  had  been 
ordered  to  go  on  active  duty.  He  was  a sea  captain  and 
had  been  put  in  charge  of  the  prison  on  account  of  having 
and  his  leg  broken.  When  the  war  broke  out  the  Major 
run.  a cargo  of  ammunition  into  a rebel' post,  instead  of 
turning  it  over  to  Uncle  Sam.  He  was  imprisoned  for 
it  in  Fort  Lafayette,  where  he  broke  his  leg  by  jumping 
from  aport  hole ; he  finally  got  into  the  Confederate  lines 
and  was  placed  in  command  of  Castle  Thunder.  The 
Major  told  us  there  was  to  be  a clearance  of  prisoners 
and  said,  “I  should  like  to  have  you  both  put  on  the 
exchange  list,  Gen.  Winder,  called  “Hog”  Winder  by  the 
prisoners,  gives  a feast  tonight,  and  before  the  festivities 
are  over  he  will  be  in  a very  moist  condition.  Now,  if 
we  can  give  him  the  exchange  list  at  this  juncture,  he 
will  sign  it  without  reading  and  you  shall  be  ready  for 
the  truce  boat  in  the  morning.”  The  scheme  was  a suc- 
cess, and  we  slept  none  that  night.  About  2 o’clock 
in  the  morning  1,000  of  our  prisoners  were  marched 
from  Libby  en  route  for  City  Point  and  halted  in  front 
of  the  Castle.  While  they  stood  there  Lotta  Gilmore,  a 
southern  girl,  imprisoned  in  Castle  Thunder,  sang  the 
“Moon  Behind  the  Hill,”  and  was  answered  by  one  of 
the  prisoners  in  line  who  sang,  “When  This  Cruel  War 
Is  Over.”  We  encored  the  minstrel,  and  asked  what 
name  and  regiment.  He  called  out  “Massachusetts,” 
and  we  replied  “Pennsylvania,”  and  immediately  re- 
ceived three  rousing  cheers. 

(261)  Lotta  Gilmore  was  imprisoned  because  her 
lover  had  counterfeited  Confederate  currency — he  had 


79 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


shown  the  money  to  her,  but  she  refused  to  testify  against 
him,  and  was  imprisoned  for  contempt  of  court. 

(262)  Bell  Boyd,  of  rebel  spy  fame,  visited  the  prison 
dressed  in  male  attire,  and  was  introduced  as  Lieut. 
W arry. 

(263)  There  was  a Col.  Dunham  of  some  New  York 
regiment,  imprisoned  opposite  to  our  cell,  but  at  a dis- 
tance. We  could  see  him  through  the  chinks  in  the  board 
partition.  We  sent  him  a note  written  on  one  of  the  fly 
leaves  of  “Don  Quixote,”  and  gave  Washington,  the 
colored  hunch-back  one  dollar  to  deliver  it ; he  rolled 
it  in  his  shirt  sleeve,  and  when  he  swept  Dunham’s  cell, 
gave  it  to  him.  Dunham  left  Richmond  the  same  morn- 
ing we  did. 

(264)  About  3 o’clock  in  the  morning  Maj.  Alexander 
made  his  appearance,  we  had  not  retired  that  night,  and 
told  us  to  make  ready,  as  soon  as  possible  to  take  the 
train  for  City  Point.  We  made  ourselves  as  presentable 
as  our  limited  wardrobe  would  allow,  but  realized  that 
we  were  laughing  stocks.  Celia’s  hat  was  faded  and  bat- 
tered and  out  of  shape;  mine  had  been  gray,  but  now  it 
was  no  color  at  all,  and  without  a particle  of  trimming, 
having  given  the  ribbon  to  the  colored  chambermaid  at 
Staunton.  Our  shoes,  bearing  the  name  of  “Schmertz 
Pittsburg”  were  down  at  the  heel  and  out  at  the  sides; 
our  stockings  minus  feet,  and  our  hands  bare;  we  had 
traded  our  last  pair  of  gloves  for  a piece  of  pie.  Our 
faces  resembled  boiled  lobster  in  color,  never  having 
recovered  from  the  tramp  along  the  Romney  Road,  nor 
the  long  ride  up  the  Shenandoah. 

(265)  The  colored  women  brought  us  four  fresh 
laundried  skirts.  We  each  took  one  giving  the  others 
to  the  women,  and  a $2  greenback  apiece.  We  wrote 
good-bye  to  the  Chaplain  on  the  fly  leaf  of  “Don 
Quixote,”  also  thanked  him  for  the  book  and  the  comfort 
it  had  given  us.  We  inscribed  a farewell  stanza  of  our 
own  composition,  (Celia  composing  one  half  and  I the 


SO 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


other)  in  Major  Alexander’s  log  book,  placing  both  books 
with  care  on  the  window  sill — that  seat  we  had  so  often 
sat  upon  and  looked  out  on  the  James,  in  our  loneliness. 
We  bade  the  colored  women  an  affectionate  adieu,  for 
they  had  comforted  us  to  the  best  of  their  ability,  and 
we  were  attached  to  them,  then  passed  down  the  dark 
and  gruesome  rickety  prison  stairs,  out  into  the  culvert, 
and  freedom.  When  the  fresh  morning  air  wafted  over 
our  faces,  we  staggered  against  the  wall — we  were 
dreadfully  weak,  but  visions  of  home  and  friends  gave 
us  renewed  strength  and  we  soon  revived. 

(266)  Maj.  Alexander  escorted  us  to  the  train,  bid- 
ding us  god-bye,  and  gave  us  a letter  to  be  delivered  at 
City  Point,  where  an  exchange  of  prisoners  took  place. 
We  embarked  on  a LT.  S.  vessel,  and  sailed  down  the 
Chesapeake.  We  passed  Hampton  Roads,  and  Fortress 
Monroe  and  saw  the  masts  of  the  sunken  Cumberland, 
above  the  water,  in  Hampton  Roads. 

267)  We  landed  at  Annapolis,  stopping  at  a hotel  there 
about  a week,  boarding  being  furnished  us  without  price, 
and  thence  to  Baltimore. 

(268)  The  morning  after  our  arrival  in  that  city,  we 
started  out  to  deliver  Alexander’s  letter.  We  were  in- 
structed ho.w  to  find  the  man ; given  a description  of  him, 
and  told  to  give  him  the  letter  and  ask  no  questions.  We 
were  to  remain  in  the  place  designated  until  we  found 
a man  answering  the  description  in  the  middle  store  of 
a block  on  a certain  street.  We  went  to  the  place  and 
paced  back  and  forth  through  the  store,  asking  no  ques- 
tions; finally  when  about  to  despair,  we  noticed  a man 
answering  the  description  in  every  respect,  seated  on  a 
chair  on  the  edge  of  the  pavement,  in  front  of  the  store. 
He  was  evidently  a Hebrew.  We  delivered  the  letter 
and  the  man  took  it,  read  it  attentively,  changed  color 
several  times,  but  made  no  comment.  He  finally  wrote 
a brief  epistle  and  handed  it  to  us  and  directed  us  to 
present  it  at  a certain  place.  We  did  so  and  at  the  place 


81 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


were  given  transportation  to  Pittsburg.  We  stopped  for 
refreshments  at  different  places,  and  nowhere  were  we 
asked  for  money  for  services  rendered. 

(269)  We  arrived  at  the  Union  depot  in  December, 
before  Christmas,  and  reached  home  by  a round-about 
route;  we  did  not  care  to  face  the  public  in  our  city,  as 
we  were  ashamed  of  our  appearance.  We  sent  no  word 
that  we  were  coming,  but  walked  in  unannounced.  Father 
and  mother  were  panic-stricken  and  could  not  believe 
their  own  eyes.  Our  friends  and  neighbors,  for  miles 
around  came  to  see  us  and  ask  questions.  The  “fatted 
calf’’  was  killed  and  a general  rejoicing  took  place.  We 
were  the  lionesses  of  the  day.  Once  again  in  Pittsburg, 
I received  work  as  a compositor  at  Haven’s  under  James 
M.  McEwen. 

(270)  Two  years  after  leaving  Richmond,  Alexander 
walked  into  Haven's  care  worn  and  penniless.  He  said 
he  had  been  included  in  the  sentence  against  Wirtz,  but 
had  escaped.  I had  a difficult  time  in  getting  Mr. 
McEwen  to  make  peculiar  promises,  before  I should  intro- 
duce Alexander;  finally  he  promised,  and  the  introduction 
took  place.  A look  of  astonishment  overspread  his  face 
when  he  found  out  who  his  new  acquaintance  was,  but 
they  were  “Masons”  and  Alexander  was  introduced, 
during  his  stay  in  Pittsburg,  to  other  members  of  that 
order,  and  found  means  to  get  to  England.  In  the  mean- 
time amnesty  being  granted,  he  came  back  to  the  states, 
and  resumed  his  former  calling. 

LOTTIE  BEU GOUGH  M’CAEFREY. 


82 


CHAPTER  VI. 


(271)  During  our  stay  at  Martinsburg  up  to  October 
18th,  there  was  little,  if  anything,  of  importance  in  a 
military  way  took  place.  We  spent  our  time  in  doing 
picket  duty,  drilling  and  etc.  On  that  day  however, 
Imboden  attacked  the  Ninth  Maryland  Infantry  at 
Charleston,  killing  the  Adjutant  and  capturing  a consid- 
erable part  of  the  command. 

(272)  An  attack  was  somewhat  looked  for  at  this  point 
in  this  same  day  and  Col.  Pierce  in  command  here,  made 
every  preparation  to  meet  it,  but  none  was  made.  In 
the  evening  our  regiment  and  a battery  were  ordered  to 
Harpers  Ferry.  We  marched  to  Shepherdstown,  about 
half  way,  and  encamped  for  the  night.  We  bivouacked 
on  the  streets  of  the  town.  A little  incident  occurred 
here  showing  the  beauties  of  soldier  life.  One  of  the  boys 
in  lying  down  for  the  night,  placed  the  strap  of  his  haver- 
sack under  his  head,  so  that  if  anyone  should  try  to  steal 
his  haversack,  he  would  likely  know  it.  In  the  night  he 
was  awakened  by  a jerk  of  something  from  under  his 
head,  and  he  found  that  his  haversack  was  gone.  It 
was  a very  dark  night,  and  an  object  could  be  seen 
scarcely  any  distance;  but  he  heard  something  rattling 
on  the  pavement.  He  followed  this  sound,  and  found  that 
a hog  was  making  an  attempt  to  confiscate  his  rations, 
the  rattling  being  made  by  the  tin  cup  fastened  to  the 
haversack.  By  a vigorous  charge  on  the  enemy  the 
rations  were  recovered  and  the  soldier  went  back  to 
renew  his  nap.  It  needs  hardly  be  said  that  if  there 

were  any  hogs  in  America  that  were  d d hogs,  that 

was  one  of  them.  - 

(273)  Shepherdstown,  situated  on  the  bank  of  the 
Potomac  was  at  that  time  a dull,  sleepy  old  town,  the 
quietude  of  which  was  quite  suggestive  of  the  proverbial 
saying,  “All  quiet  on  the  Potomac.”  This  saying  was 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


applicable  to  the  place  at  that  particular  time;  though  no 
doubt,  it  had  been  often  awakened  before,  and  was  after- 
ward, from  its  wonted  drowsiness  by  “the  cannons’ 
opening  roar’’  being  only  three  or  four  miles  from  the 
Antietarn  battle  ground,  the  center  of  a region  of  battle 
fields,  and  itself  the  scene  of  one  or  more  fights. 

(274)  We  continued  our  march  in  the  morning 
through  rain  and  mud,  and  arrived  at  Harpers  Ferry  at 
3 o’clock  P.  M.  We  crossed  the  Potomac  here  on  the 
railroad  bridge  and  camped  on  Maryland  Heights, 
which  are  close  to  the  Potomac,  not  leaving  but  little 
more  room  than  enough  between  its  base  and  the  river, 
for  the  canal  and  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  (which 
latter  in  going  east  crosses  into  Maryland  from  West 
Virginia  at  this  point)  to  pass. 

(275)  Just  opposite  these  heights  nearby,  looking 
south  on  London  Heights.  The  Shenandoah  river  on 
the  southeast  side  of  the  valley  skirts  these  latter  heights 
and  forms  a junction  with  the  Potomac  at  Harpers 
Ferry.  The  Potomac  then  flows  on  east  through  the  defile 
between  the  two  heights.  The  Maryland  Heights  com- 
mand, in  a military  sense,  Harpers  Ferry,  which  lies 
between  the  two  rivers  at  their  junction.  From  these 
heights  is  a fine  view  up  the  Valley  for  many  miles.  At 
this  time  there  was  a company  of  Massachusetts  heavy 
artillery  stationed  on  them.  They  had  a siege  gun  planted 
there,  throwing  a hundred  pound  shell,  pointing  in  the 
direction  of  Harpers  Ferry,  which  was  capable  of  shelling 
an  enemy  coming  down  the  valley,  and  approaching  the 
town  anywhere  within  three  miles  of  it. 

(276)  These  Massachusetts  boys  were  true  to  the 
traditions  and  preferences  of  their  section  in  thinking 
that  a dish  of  baked  beans  was  the  very  cream  of  good 
things.  The  following  little  incident  illustrates  this  fact. 
It  shows  that  they  looked  forward  to  the  stated  time 
when  they  should  have  their  favorite  dish  with  joyous 
anticipation  : One  day  one  of  the  Twelfth  boys  overheard 


84 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


one  of  the  artillery  boys  talking  to  a comrade.  The 
talk  had  been  of  no  especial  interest  to  him,  the  one  talk- 
ing, when  suddenly  a thought  seemed  to  strike  him, 
which  aroused  him  to  considerable  enthusiasm.  He  said : 
“Let  me  see — this  is  Wednesday,  tomorrow  is  Thursday, 
and  the  next  day  Friday,  when,  by  gahge!  we  are  going 
to  have  baked  beans.” 

(277)  Gen.  Sullivan  commanded  the  troops  here.  We 
were  brigaded  with  the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts. 
This  regiment  was  under  very  strict  regimental  discipline. 
Each  officers  tent  when  in  camp,  had  a sentinel  placed  in 
front  of  it;  and  no  private  soldier  was  allowed  to  enter 
his  tent  without  first  getting  permission.  No  intercourse 
was  held  between  the  officers  and  privates,  only  on  busi- 
ness. They  had  not  seen  any  service  only  guarding  the 
railroad.  They  were  finally  equipped  with  arms  and  etc. 
and  neatly  uniformed ; and  the  style  displayed,  soon  con- 
vinced the  boys  of  the  Twelfth,  according  to  Col.  Curtis, 
then  major,  that  they,  the  Thirty-fourth,  considered  them, 
the  Twelfth  boys,  a lot  of  rude  mountaineers  that  were 
not  their  equals.  But  an  opportunity  was  soon  given  to 
test  that  matter,  so  far  as  fast  marching  and  roughing  it 
generally  were  concerned,  to  their  entire  satisfaction. 

(278)  No  disparagement  of  the  Thirty-fourth,  is  in- 
tended by  the  foregoing  remarks.  The  men  of  that  com- 
mand were  brave  soldiers,  and  their  colonel,  Col.  Wells, 
was  a brave  capable  and  careful  officer.  There  was  prob- 
ably little  or  no  difference  in  bravery  between  the  Eastern 
and  Western  soldiers.  Gen.  Sheridan  thought,  after 
seeing  both  European  and  American  armies  in  action,  that 
while  the  latter  were  no  braver  than  the  former,  they, 
the  American  sodiers  were  the  most  intelligent,  re- 
sourceful and  efficient  soldiers  in  the  world.  And  because 
the  Western  soldier  was  more  used  to  the  handling  of 
arms,  and  for  the  reason  that  the  hardships  and  varied 
experience  of  frontier  life  had  produced  in  him  a ready 
adaptability  to  necessities,  he  was  perhaps  a little  more 


85 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


distinctively  American  in  the  quick  resourcefulness,  in  the 
rough  and  rugged  requirements  of  war,  than  was  her 
more  delicately  reared  Eastern  brother. 

(279)  No  doubt  those  Massachusetts  boys  thought 
their  colonel  was  too  rigid  in  maintaining  the  exclusive- 
ness he  did  on  the  part  of  his  officers.  Gen.  Grant  says 
of  Gen.  Buell : “He  was  a strict  disciplinarian  and  per- 
haps did  not  distinguish  sufficiently  between  the  volun- 
teer, who  enlisted  for  the  war  and  the  soldier  who  serves 
in  time  of  peace.”  This  seems  to  have  been  the  trouble 
with  Col.  Wells.  “One  system,”  says  Grant,  “embraced 
men  who  risked  life  for  principal,  and  other  men  of 
social  standing  competence,  or  wealth  and  independence 
of  character.  The  other  includes,  as  a rule,  only  men 
who  could  not  do  as  well  in  any  other  occupation.” 

(280)  The  Twelfth  remained  on  the  Heights,  with  the 
exception  of  a movement  up  and  down  the  Valley,  for 
about  two  and  a half  months,  doing  picket  duty  and  work- 
ing on  fortifications  there.  At  least  this  was  the  work  of 
part  of  the  regiment.  However,  on  November  5th,  we 
marched  across  the  river  to  Harpers  Ferry  to  hold  the 
camp  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts  one  day  and 
night  while  that  regiment  was  on  a scout  to  Charleston 
and  back.  We  moved  onto  the  Heights  again  the  next 
morning,  the  Thirty-fourth  having  returned  to  their  camp. 

(281)  Gen.  Sullivan  having  been  ordered  to  make  a 
demonstration  against  Staunton,  Maj.  Curtic  received 
orders  on  the  night  of  the  9th  to  have  the  Twelfth  fur- 
nished with  three  days’  cooked  rations,  and  forty  rounds 
of  ammunition  to  the  man,  and  be  ready  by  dawn  on  the 
next  day  to  march  up  the  Valley  to  make  the  demon- 
stration. 

(282)  This  movement  was  apparently  made  with  a 
view  to  drawing  troops  from  Richmond  to  protect  Staun- 
ton, and  as  a diversion  in  favor  of  Gen.  Stoneman,  who 
started  December  6th,  from  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  with  three 
mounted  brigades,  led  by  Burbridge  and  Gillem,  and 


86 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


moved  along  the  Virginia  and  East  Tennessee  railroad  to 
Marion,  Va.,  where  Gillem  struck  the  Rebel  Gen.  Vaughn, 
the  Sixteenth  chasing  him  30  miles  into  Wytheville;  cap- 
turing 200  men,  eight  guns  and  a large  train ; then  moved 
on  along  the  railroad  as  far  as  Max  Meadows,  Va.  Our 
force  and  that  of  Stoneman  would  thus,  in  our  movements 
tend  toward  each  other.  On  this  expedition  Stoneman 
captured  in  all  500  prisoners,  destroyed  the  lead  works 
15  miles  east  of  Wytheville,  destroyed  on  his  way  back 
to  Knoxville  the  valuable  and  costly  saltworks  at  Salt- 
ville,  Va.,  and  made  other  material  captures,  and  destruc- 
tions, including  destruction  to  some  extent  of  the  railroad. 

(283)  At  the  appointed  time  the  Tenth,  our  regiment 
marched  from  the  Heights  across  to  Harpers  Ferry, 
where  we  joined  the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts  with 
four  pieces  of  Indiana  battery  under  command  of  Capt. 
Minor.  The  force  moved  early  in  the  morning  of  this 
day  under  command  of  Col.  Wells,  he  being  the  senior 
officer  in  the  command.  The  route  was  through  Charles- 
ton at  which  place  we  were  joined  by  the  First  New 
York,  the  Fifth  Maine,  the  Twenty-First  Pennsylvania, 
and  Cole's  Maryland  Battalion,  which  reinforcements 
were  all  cavalry.  In  addition  to  this,  there  were  added  to 
the  artillery  strength  at  this  place,  two  12-pound  brass 
pieces. 

(284)  A rather  short  march  was  made  that  day,  as 
the  Thirty-fourth  had  started  with  heavy  knapsacks  of 
clothing,  blankets,  and  etc.,  to  keep  them  comfortable,  as 
the  command  had  neither  tents  nor  shelter  of  any  kind 
to  protect  the  men. 

(285)  Camp  was  made  that  night  between  Charles- 
ton and  Berryville.  The  next  morning  the  advance  was 
given  to  the  Twelfth.  They  started  off  whistling  “Yankee 
Doodle”  and  keeping  step  to  the  music  at  a lively  gait. 
Berryville  was  passed  through,  and  coming  to  the  Ope- 
quon  Creek  beyond,  Col.  Wells  ordered  the  command  to 
halt  until  a temporary  bridge  should  be  made.  The  boys 


87 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 

of  the  Twelfth,  who  had  frequently  had  such  obstacles  to 
overcome,  soon  set  the  Thirty-fourth  boys  an  example  of 
how  to  get  on  the  other  side  of  a creek,  by  plunging  into 
this  one  and  wading  across.  Col.  Wells  exclaimed  to 
Major  Curtis,  “What  kind  of  men  have  you?  They 
don’t  seem  to  care  for  water  or  anything  else.”  The 
Major  replied:  “They  are  used  to  that  kind  of  work.” 

(286)  The  Twelfth  boys  marched  on  rapidly,  in  order 
to  give  the  Massachusetts  regiment  a lesson  in  marching 
and  about  12  o’clock  the  wagon  master  came  galloping 
up  to  the  front  and  requested  Col.  Wells  to  slacken  up 
the  speed,  as  the  men  of  the  Thirty-fourth  were  all  giving 
out,  emptying  their  knapsacks  of  blankets  and  extra 
clothing,  and  climbing  into  the  wagons  and  artillery  car- 
riages to  ride.  The  order  was  given  to  proceed  on  a 
slower  march,  which  was  done. 

(287)  This  plan  of  rather  slow  marching  pursued  by 
Col.  Wells  going  as  he  did  at  the  outset  at  the  rate  of 
about  sixteen  miles  a day,  is  to  be  commended.  It 
showed  him  to  be  considerate  and  careful  of  his  men. 
Men  ought  not  to  be  marched  from  twenty  to  thirty 
miles  per  day,  unless  there  were  some  special  urgency 
for  so  doing.  But  it  often  happened  that  the  various 
commands  to  which  our  regiment  belonged,  would  march 
considerably  over  twenty  miles  a day,  when  no  apparent 
reason  existed  for  so  doing.  Those  responsible  for  this 
had  marching  being  mounted  did  not  seem  to  realize 
what  a heavy  drain  it  was  on  the  energy  of  the  men  to 
carry  about  thirty  pounds,  including  arms  equipments 
and  etc.,  all  day  on  a hard  march,  or  to  appreciate  how 
heavy  this  weight  would  become  before  the  end  of  a 
day’s  long  march. 

(288)  Surgeon  F.  H.  Patton,  in  charge  of  the  Soldiers' 
Home  at  Dayton,  O.,  in  a recent  interview  said  that  most 
of  the  inmates  there  were  afflicted  with  heart  trouble; 
and  he  attributed  this  fact  to  over  exertion  during  the 
war.  Assuming  this  to  be  true,  it  is  believed  that  much 


88 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


if  not  most  of  this  heart  trouble  is  attributable  to  un- 
necessarily hard  inarching. 

(289)  On  this  second  day's  march — the  command 
passed  through  Winchester  from  which  place  the  regi- 
ment. being  in  Gen.  Milroy’s  army,  was  routed  in  the 
preceding  June,  by  Lee's  army  and  camped  two  miles 
from  town.  While  here  some  of  the  Twelfth  boys  took 
the  opportunity  of  looking  over  the  battle  field,  and  saw 
where  some  of  their  comrades  had  fallen  and  been  buried, 
with  only  a little  earth  thrown  upon  them.  The  third 
day  the  command  marched  to  Strasburg  and  remained 
there  four  days. 

(290)  Some  of  the  comrades  tell  of  a trick  one  of  the 
Twelfth  boys  played  on  a citizen  at  this  town,  during 
this  stay  here.  He,  the  soldier,  some  how  had  got  hold 
of  a watch  chain  made  of  imitation  gold  dollars.  The 
chain  was  formed  by  lining  these  dollars  together.  He 
seperated  them  by  removing  the  links.  No  doubt  with  a 
view  to  catching  a victim,  this  soldier  one  day  was  care- 
lessly toying  with  his  gold  dollars  in  the  presence  of  a 
citizen,  when  the  eye  of  the  latter  caught  a sight  of  the 
seeming  coin.  The  citizen  immediately  asked  the  soldier 
what  he  would  take  for  it.  The  latter  played  the  in- 
different dodge — seemed  like  he  did  not  care  whether  he 
sold  his  coin  or  not : but  finally  said  that  as  he  would 
spend  his  money  anyhow,  he  would  exchange  it  dollar  for 
dollar,  for  ‘"greenbacks.”  The  citizen  promptly  handed 
over  the  required  treasury  notes,  putting  the  bogus  coin 
in  his  pocket  with  the  remark  that  he  would  “salt  that 
down.”  Very  probably  he  would  discover  later  that  it 
was  the  man  instead  of  the  money  that  was  “salted.” 

(291)  Cheating  tricks,  such  as  this  are  not  to  be  ap- 
proved of  course ; but  a faithful  though  imperfect  record, 
demands  that  incidents  of  this  character  as  well  as  those 
of  a more  creditable  kind,  should  be  given. 

(292)  On  the  night  of  the  16th,  while  still  at  Stras- 
burg, it  began  raining.  In  the  morning,  the  command 


89 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


marched  to  near  Woodstock,  the  rain  still  falling.  In  the 
evening  the  rain  turned  to  sleet.  Camp  was  made  in  the 
woods  where  part  of  the  timber  was  pines  or  cedars  and 
in  the  night  some  of  the  men,  who  had  put  up  their 
gum  blankets  to  partially  protect  themselves  from  the 
falling  sleet,  had  to  move  their  quarters  on  account  of  the 
sleet  breaking  the  limbs  of  the  trees  above  their  heads, 
making  it  unsafe  to  stay  where  they  were.  Of  course, 
this  disagreeable  weather  was  very  trying  on  the  endur- 
ance and  patience  of  the  men.  Having  relation  to  this 
trying  severity  of  the  weather  this  story  is  told.  There 
was  a soldier  in  the  Twelfth,  who  was  familiarly  known 
as  “Kid.”  He,  it  seemed  got  very  much  disgusted  with 
the  bad  weather,  prevailing  at  this  time;  and  by  reason 
of  his  patience  and  endurance  being  sorely  tried,  he  began 
to  curse  the  war  in  general ; and  wound  up  with  saying  in 
a mainly  jocular  and  slightly  serious  manner,  that  so 
far  as  he  was  concerned  the  Johnny’s  might  have  their 
Confederacy. 

(293)  The  next  day,  however,  the  sun  came  out  bright 
and  the  day  was  comparatively  beautifully ; and  some  of 
the  boys  remembering  what  “Kid”  had  said  the  day 
before  reminded  him  of  it  saying,  “Kid,  how  do  you  feel 
about  it  today?  Are  you  willing  today  to  give  the 
Johnnys  their  Confederacy?”  “No.”  said  “Kid,”  “I’ll  be 
damned  if  I am;  I’ll  try  them  a hustle  for  it  first.”  “Kid” 
was  a good  soldier.  He  faithfully  performed  his  duty  to 
the  end  of  the  war.  He  was  in  at  the  final  “hustle”  at 
Petersburg  and  Appomattox,  and  saw  the  flag  of  treason 
go  down  before  the  flag  of  our  country,  to  be  hoisted  no 
more  forever,  it  is  hoped. 

(294)  On  the  18th,  the  command  continued  its  march 
going  short  distances  each  day  until  the  afternoon  of  the 
20th,  when  Harrisonburg,  about  100  miles  from  Harpers 
Ferry  was  reached.  At  the  bridge  across  the  North  Fork 
of  the  Shenandoah,  which  was  crossed  the  day  before,  the 
19th,  forty  men  of  the  First  New  York  cavalry  were 


90 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


left  to  guard  it.  In  the  evening  of  the  day  Harrisonburg 
was  reached,  the  command  was  formed  in  line  of  battle, 
on  account  of  a report  that  the  Rebels  were  coming;  but 
no  attack  was  made.  However,  Gen.  Early,  with  a 
division,  a force  many  times  that  of  ours  was  near  and 
the  object  of  the  expedition  (the  drawing  of  the  Rebels’ 
attention  and  the  withdrawing  of  troops  toward  us  from 
Richmond,  to  enable  our  troops  in  other  fields  to  success- 
fully accomplish  their  purposes)  having  been  gained,  the 
command  after  dark  that  night  started  to  retrace  its  steps 
down  the  Valley,  reaching  New  Market  by  4 o’clock  next 
morning,  distance  18  miles. 

(295)  Here  is  an  incident  which  it  may  be  thought 
should  have  a place  here:  On  our  return  down  the  Val- 
ley, perhaps  at  New  Market,  a woman  stuck  her  head 
out  of  a house  and  shouted,  “You’re  running  again  are 
you  ?”  It  appears  that  the  boys  received  this  taunt  good- 
naturedly  no  doubt  thinking  that  it  was  a pretty  good 
joke.  The  average  American  is  proveriably  good- 
natured;  and  can  often  enjoy  a sarcasm  or  joke  at  his 
own  expense.  Perhaps  there  never  was  a man  before 
in  which  there  was  less  of  hereditary  clannish  or  per- 
sonal hate  involved  than  in  this.  This  was  true  especially 
of  the  Northern  soldier.  This  lack  of  personal  enmity 
was  often  shown  by  the  good-natured  sociable  chats  the 
soldiers  of  the  two  armies  would  have  when  they  would 
get  together,  those  of  the  one  side  being  prisoners,  for 
instance. 

(296)  So  the  boys  in  the  case  of  the  above  incident 
showed  no  sign  of  cherished  hate  or  any  illnatured  per- 
sonal resentment  toward  the  Rebel  woman  for  her  taunt. 
Sharp  thrusts  like  this  coming  from  Rebels,  were  some- 
times met,  however,  with  more  than  counter  balancing 
thrusts.  For  instance,  one  time  while  our  regiment  was 
at  Winchester  the  winter  previous,  a rather  large  guard 
having  gone  out  some  three  or  four  miles  with  some 
wagons  to  get  fire  wood,  a woman  sarcastically  said  to 


91 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


the  boys,  “It  takes  a good  many  Yankees  to  get  a little 
wood.”  “Yes,”  replied  some  one,  “it  does,  but  it  would 
take  a whole  army  of  Rebels  to  get  wood  up  North.” 

(297)  After  remaining  five  hours  at  New  Market  the 
march  was  resumed  and  continued  till  evening,  when 
the  force  camped.  Just  after  dark  the  rear  guard  was 
fired  on  from  across  the  Shenandoah  by  some  bush- 
whackers, causing  the  troops  to  be  ordered  into  line;  but 
it  was  soon  learned  that  there  was  nothing  serious.  There 
was  no  further  disturbance  during  the  night.  The  next 
day  on  the  way  down  the  Valley,  400  Rebel  cavalry 
charged  on  our  rear  guard  at  Woodstock;  but  some  well 
directed  shots  from  a section  of  artillery  sent  them  back 
flying.  Camp  was  made  that  night  at  Strasburg. 

(298)  Starting  from  here  the  next  morning  the  com- 
mand reached  (in  two  days)  Harpers  Ferry,  the  24th,  a 
distance  of  48  miles.  The  comman  on  its  retreat  aver- 
aged about  25  miles  per  day.  This  was  hard  marching, 
but  there  was  reason  for  it.  Col.  Curtis  says  that  Gen. 
Early  was  in  close  pursuit ; as  far  as  Winchester  and  that 
it  needed  no  rear  guard  to  keep  up  the  stragglers. 

(299)  Col.  Wells  managed  this  expedition  skillfully, 
choosing  a good  position  every  night  for  his  camp.  Be- 
sides making  an  effective  diversion  in  favor  of  Gen. 
Stoneman  operating  along  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee 
railroad,  the  command  captured  68  prisoners.  This  march 
up  and  down  the  Valley  in  severe  winter  weather,  was 
very  hard  on  the  men,  they  having  to  sleep  on  the  ground, 
without  tents  or  shelter  of  any  kind,  but  they  stood  it 
fairly  well. 

(300)  Early  remained  at  Winchester  till  the  31st, 
when  he  advanced  upon  Harpers  Ferry  threatening  an 
attack  upon  that  place.  Our  regiment  by  daylight  that 
morning  crossed  over  to  Harpers  Ferry.  Maj.  Curtis 
having  received  orders  the  night  before  to  move  his  com- 
mand from  Maryland  Heights  to  that  place  early  in  the 
morning.  We  marched  to  the  camp  of  the  Thirty-fourth 


92 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


Massachusetts,  which  was  stationed  on  that  side  of  the 
river,  where  we  remained  all  day.  There  was  no  attack 
however.  It  rained  all  of  this  day.  At  night  we  camped 
with  the  Thirty-fourth. 

(301)  On  the  morning  of  January  1st,  1864,  which 
will  be  remembered  by  all  old  soldiers  as  the  cold  New 
Year’s  day,  the  mercury  being  23  degrees  below  zero 
at  Harpers  Ferry.  Maj.  Curtis  was  ordered  in  connection 
with  the  other  troops  at  this  place  to  form  the  Twelfth 
in  line  of  battle  on  Bolivar  Heights,  just  back  of  Harpers 
Ferry,  to  protect  it  from  the  assault  expected  to  be  made 
by  Early.  The  regiment  was  placed  on  the  top  of  the 
Heights.  It  being  so  very  cold,  it  was  impossible  for  the 
men  to  stand  in  line  without  freezing;  and  they  were 
allowed  to  stack  arms,  break  ranks,  build  fires  and  stand 
around  them,  or  run  backward  and  forward  to  keep  from 
freezing. 

(302)  The  entire  day  was  spent  in  this  position  and 
night  coming  on  without  the  enemy’s  appearing,  the 
command  was  withdrawn  to  within  our  works.  The 
Twelfth  returned  to  the  camp  of  the  Thirty-fourth,  some 
of  our  companies  quartering  in  vacant  houses,  in  which 
flies  were  built  making  it  decidedly  more  pleasant  than 
standing  in  line  in  the  bitter  cold  air.  When  early  in 
the  morning,  information  was  received  that  Early  had 
concluded  that  it  was  too  cold  to  fight,  and  had  withdrawn 
his  army  from  our  front  and  gone  back  up  the  Valley, 
our  regiment  returned  to  its  quarters  on  Maryland 
Heights.  It  was  so  cold  that  New  Year’s  night  that,  it 
was  so  reported,  six  of  the  First  New  York  cavalry’s 
teamsters  were  frozen  to  death.  This  same  night  a part 
of  the  Sixth  corps  passed  by  Harpers  Ferry  on  the  rail- 
road on  its  way  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  Mar- 
tinsburg,  and  through  the  day  (the  second)  a brigade  of 
the  same  corps  got  off  the  cars  here  and  went  out  to 
Halltown,  some  four  miles  distant.  No  doubt,  Early’s 
movement  down  the  Valley  had  caused  these  troops  to  be 
sent  to  his  department. 


93 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


(303)  On  the  4th,  Maj.  Curtis  received  orders  to 
proceed  immediately  with  the  Twelfth  by  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  railroad  to  Cumberland,  Md.,  and  report  to 
Gen.  B.  F.  Kelly,  who  was  in  command  there.  He, 
Kelley,  fearing  that  Early  would  make  a movement 
against  Cumberland,  had  requested  that  the  Twelfth  be 
sent  to  him  to  assist  in  defending  the  place  in  that  con- 
tingency. Six  companies  got  off  on  the  route  during  the 
afternoon  of  that  day,  and  arrived  at  Cumberland  in  the 
early  part  of  the  night.  The  other  four  companies  did 
not  get  started  from  Harpers  Ferry  till  10  o’clock  that 
night,  being  delayed  in  getting  their  baggage  from  camp. 
They  had  only  one  car  to  the  company,  (freight  car) 
and  they  were  so  crowded  that  there  was  scarcely  room 
for  the  men  to  sit.  They  reached  Cumberland  at  10 
o’clock  the  next  day.  The  regiment  was  furnished  with 
very  comfortable  quarters,  such  as  it  had  not  had  before 
during  its  service.  One-half  the  companies  was  quartered 
in  what  was  known  as  the  old  Shriver  Mill,  and  the 
other  half  in  a large  hospital.  There  being  plenty  of  room 
here  in  this  latter  building,  the  boys  had  free  swing  to 
work  off  their  surplus  energy,  and  some  of  them  for  a 
day  or  so  after  being  quartered  in  it,  spent  part  of  their 
time  trying  their  skill  in  dancing. 

(304)  Major  Curtis,  on  our  arrival  here  received  an 
order  from  Gen.  Kelley  to  have  the  Twelfth  furnished 
with  four  days’  cooked  rations,  forty  rounds  of  ammuni- 
tion, lie  upon  their  arms  and  be  ready  to  move  at  a 
moment’s  warning.  The  order  was  complied  with  and 
the  boys  expected  every  minute  to  hear  the  bugle  call 
to  fall  in ; but  none  came  and  no  further  orders  were 
received  from  Gen.  Kelley  to  prepare  for  battle.  Early 
having  concluded,  no  doubt,  the  weather  being  so  very 
cold  to  go  back  to  his  winter  quarters,  and  wait  until  it 
moderated  before  engaging  in  further  field  operations. 

(305)  The  Twelfth  remained  here  doing  guard  and 
picket  duty  during  the  months  of  January,  February  and 


94 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


March.  On  January  23rd,  we  received  two  months  pay, 
and  the  same  day  the  officers  of  the  regiment  met  and  by 
a formal  vote  recommended  the  appointment  of  Major 
Curtis  as  colonel  of  the  Twelfth,  and  on  the  26th,  he 
received  his  commission  as  Colonel,  to  rank  as  such  from 
this  latter  date,  vice  J.  B.  Ivlunk,  who  had  resigned,  Lieut. 
Col.  Northcott  still  being  a prisoner  of  war.  Capt.  R.  H. 
Brown  of  Company  I,  on  February  6th,  was  com- 
missioned Major  of  the  regiment,  in  accordance  with  the 
recommendation  of  the  officers  of  it. 

(306)  Many  of  the  boys  still  cherish  tender  recollec- 
tions of  the  old  mill  and  the  hospital  we  were  camped 
in  at  Cumberland  and  the  good  times  we  had  at  that 
place.  Many  agreeable  acquaintances  were  formed  here 
by  the  boys,  which  in  some  instances  ripened  into  endur- 
ing friendship.  The  gay  Lieutenant  away  from  scenes 
of  strife  turned  his  attention  to  more  peaceful  and  con- 
genial pursuits,  while  some  of  the  boys  were  not  slow  to 
imitate  and  emulate  his  example,  in  endeavoring  to  reduce 
the  Confederacy  to  submission  by  arts  long  known  and 
long  practiced— those  by  which  the  hearts  of  the  fair 
Rebels  were  attempted  to  be  captured. 

(307)  Paper  collars  soft  bread,  soft  drinks,  some  not 
so  soft,  soft  interviews  and  a large  correspondence  wen 
some  of  the  luxuries  enjoyed  at  this  place.  Occassionahy 
some  enterprising  member  of  the  Twelfth  fired  with  zeal, 
or  something  else,  would  interview  the  provost  guard 
and  inspect  the  interior  of  the  old  depot,  used  as  a guard 
house ; which  diversion  taken  with  the  picnics  had  with 
the  canal  boatmen,  served  to  vary  the  monootony  inci- 
dent to  soldier  life. 

(308)  At  this  point  may  be  given  a story  told  by  J. 
H.  Haney  of  Company  K.  about  a trick  played  by  some 
of  the  boys  of  his  company  upon  a landlord  of  this  city 
during  our  encampment  there.  The  story  as  well  as  is 
remembered  is  about  as  follows  : Some  of  the  boys  ot  the 
aforesaid  company,  persuading  themselves  that  the  water 


95 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


ol  the  place  did  not  agree  with  them,  or  that  their 
sumachs  needed  a stimulus  in  order  that  they  might  be 
able  with  some  relish  to  partake  of  their  usual  ration  of 
salt  pork  and  hard  tack,  concluded  that  they  would  go 
early  one  morning  to  a hotel  near  the  railroad  station, 
kept  by  a man  named  Kelly,  and  try  the  virtue  of  his 
tangle  foot.  When  the  boys  got  to  the  hotel  the  land- 
lord was  still  in  bed.  One  of  them  suggested  that  they 
be  patient  and  not  wake  him.  In  the  meantime  this  same 
soldier  reconnoitered  to  the  rear  of  the  building  and 
discovered  a string  of  mackerel  there  on  a porch.  He 
came  back  and  told  what  he  had  seen,  suggesting  to  a 
comrade  that  the  fish  might  be  made  available  for  the 
drinks.  He  acted  immediately  on  the  suggestion  and 
went  and  got  them  intending  to  try  the  experiment. 

( 309 ) It  was  not  long  till  the  landlord  was  out  of 
bed.  The  boys  walked  into  the  bar-room  with  the  fish 
saying  that  they  had  had  for  some  time  mackerel  issued 
to  them,  and  that  they  had  got  very  tired  of  them ; and 
wanted  to  know  if  the  landlord  would  not  treat  the  crowd 
for  the  string  they  had  brought.  The  landlord,  being  a 
clever  Irishman  promptly  said  that  he  would,  setting  out 
the  bottle,  and  throwing  the  string  of  fish  out  on  the 
porch.  They  took  their  dose  of  corrective  when  loci  mg 
out  of  the  door,  they  sawr  another  boy,  with  whom  the 
w^ater  did  not  agree  directing  his  steps  toward  the  hotel. 

(310)  One  of  the  boys  in  the  bar-room  went  out  and 
met  him,  telling  him  of  the  marckerel  on  the  porch,  and 
wanted  to  know  what  was  to  hinder  their  being  traded 
for  the  drinks.  That  w^as  hint  enough.  It  was  net  long, 
until  the  first  v'ere  in  possession  of  the  new  comer,  and 
pretty  soon  he  walked  into  the  bar-room  with  them.  The 
rest  of  the  boys  assumed  an  air  of  surprise,  and  said, 
“Hello!  you  are  here  are  you?  and  got  fish  too?”  Yes 
their  mess  had  more  of  them  than  they  wanted  and  he 
thought  that  he  w-ould  see  if  the  landlord  would  trade  him 
a drink  of  “red-eye”  for  this  string.  The  landlord 


96 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


obligingly  agreed  to  do  so ; and  the  drinks  the  second  time 
were  gotten  for  the  same  fish,  the  landlord  again  throw- 
ing them  out  on  the  porch  without  discovering  the  trick. 

(311)  This  trick  was  played  successfully  three  dif- 
ferent times  that  morning  when  the  boys  concluded  that 
they  would  go  to  camp.  They  started  but  had  not  got 
far  when  the  landlord  called  out  “Hello!  boys.”  They 
thought,  “Now  we  are  in  for  it — now  we  will  get  a 
blessing!”  But  the  landlord  saw  the  humorous  side  of 
the  matter,  and  so  he  said,  “Come  back  boys.  Any 
man  that  is  darned  fool  enough  to  buy  his  own  fish  three 
times  ought  to  stand  treat.”  So  they  went  back  and  got 
the  fourth  drink  as  the  result  of  their  fish  deals. 

(312)  Coming  as  the  story  does  from  Hen  Haney, 
it  is  not  by  any  means  to  be  regarded  as  a “fish  story.” 
He  avers  that  the  boys  who  took  in  “the  landlord  were 
not  bummers,  but  rather  genteel  fellows  who  did  what 
they  did  in  spirit  of  fun  rather  than  otherwise;  that 
they  all  had  been,  since  the  war,  well  doing  and  pros- 
perous men.  After  the  paymaster  paid  them,  they  went 
back  and  paid  the  landlord  for  the  drinks ; and  he  being  a 
jolly  Irishman  looked  upon  the  Company  K boys  after 
that  as  being  ‘the  broths  of  boys.’  ” 

(313)  While  the  regiment  was  at  Harpers  Ferry  some 
officers  and  sergeants  were  detailed  and  sent  to  their  re- 
spective sectionss  of  country  to  recruit.  A number  of 
the  recruits  obtained,  came  to  us  while  we  were  at  Cum- 
berland. The  older  soldiers  in  some  cases  called  these 
recruits  in  a jesting  way  “conscripts.”  Though  the  re- 
cruits, as  a rule  had  not  seen  any  service,  the  time  was 
not  far  off  when  they  were  to  see  plenty  of  it,  and  all 
distinction  between  themselves  and  the  soldiers  longer 
in  the  service  should  be  lost.  Gen.  Grant  was  soon  to 
be  placed  in  command  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States ; 
and  instead  of  the  lack  of  unity  or  co-operation  and 
persistency  of  effort,  that  hitherto  had  characterized  the 
operations  of  our  armies,  there  was  destined  to  be,  as  far 


97 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


as  possible,  a co-operation  of  movement  and  avigorous, 
persistent  “hammering  away"  on  the  part  of  all  our  forces 
The  fighting  of  the  present  year  was  to  be  bloodier  than 
ever,  especially  in  Virginia.  While  heretofore,  for  in- 
stance, one  or  two  considerable  engagements  were  as 
many  as  took  place  in  the  Valley  during  a year,  the 
present  year  was  to  witness  six  or  eight  hard  battles 
there.  And  the  Twelfth  had  in  store  for  it  four  or  five 
times  as  much  fighting  during  the  coming  fifteen  months, 
as  it  had  it  in  all  its  previous  service. 

(314)  Going  back  a little,  on  January  27th,  Gen.  Mil- 
roy  arrived  in  the  city  putting  up  at  the  Revere  House, 
and  the  next  day  the  Twelfth  was  marched  to  his  place 
of  stopping  when  he  made  us  a short  speech. 

(315)  In  the  forepart  of  February,  Col.  Curtis  re- 
ceived orders  to  take  the  regiment  and  go  into  camp  on 
a hill  west  of  the  city,  which  was  done,  and  while  remain- 
ing here  having  very  light  picket  and  guard  duty  to 
perform,  and  working  on  fortifications,  the  Colonel  found 
time  to  thoroughly  drill  the  regiment  in  battalion  drill, 
the  manual  of  arms  and  dress  parade.  It  became  very 
efficient  in  drill  and  in  the  manual  of  arms. 

(316)  Feberuary  2nd,  the  Rebels  made  a dash  in  on 
the  railroad  and  burned  a bridge  seven  miles  east  of 
here.  A few  weeks  latr  McNeil’s  and  Woodson’s  men 
under  the  command  of  Jesse  McNeil  dashed  into  Cum- 
berland at  night  and  captured  and  brought  off  Generals 
Crook  and  Kelly,  and  Capt.  Thayer  Melvin,  Gen.  Kel- 
ley’s adjutant  general.  This  was  a very  daring  feat. 


98 


CHAPTER  VII. 


(317)  March  12th,  Maj.  Gen.  Franz  Sigel  arrived  here 
and  took  command  of  the  department.  During  this 
month  the  arrangement  was  made  for  the  raid  against 
Lynchburg,  Gen.  Sigel  to  command  the  force  in  person, 
to  be  moved  it  was  first  intended  from  Webster,  near 
Grafton  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  but  as  finally 
decided  from  Martinsburg  up  the  Valley.  He  carefully 
inspected  the  troops  here  intended  to  go  on  the  expedition. 
In  his  inspection  which  was  minute  and  almost  individual 
in  character,  he  passed  closely  along  the  lines  of  men, 
looking  sharply  into  their  eyes,  apparently  to  see  if  there 
was  fight  there. 

(318)  On  a Sabbath  day  shortly  after  Sigel’s  arrival 
here.  A few  weeks  later  McNeil’s  and  Woodson’s  men 
parade,  he  and  his  staff  rode  up  to  the  camp  and  quietly 
took  position  behind  the  Colonel,  and  witnessed  the 
efficiency  with  which  the  men  executed  the  orders  given 
them ; and  when  the  parade  was  over  Gen.  Sigel  rode  up 
to  the  Colonel  and  complimented  the  regiment  on  its 
high  attainment  in  drill,  stating  that  he  had  no  idea  that 
there  was  so  well  drilled  a regiment  in  that  department 

(319)  Lieut.  Col.  Northcott,  having  recently  rejoined 
the  regiment,  from  being  a prisoner  in  Libby  prison,  on 
the  occasion  of  a dress  parade  on  the  27th,  gave  us  a 
short  speech.  Gen.  Sigel  was  also  up  to  the  camp  at  the 
time  and  spoke  briefly  to  the  regiment.  Officers  and 
men  were  all  pleased  to  see  the  Lieutenant  Colonel  once 
more  with  the  regiment;  and  he  no  doubt,  was  no  less 
glad  to  exchange  life  in  a Rebel  prison  for  his  accustomed 
duties  with  the  boys. 

(320)  Adjt.  Gen.  Pierpoint,,  our  former  Major  be- 
tween whom  and  the  Twelfth,  there  had  always  been  a 
strong,  mutual  attachment  came  from  Wheeling  on 


99 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


April  2nd,  to  pay  the  regiment  a visit  and  greet  his  late 
comrades  again. 

(321)  The  next  day,  the  3rd,  the  regiment  was  ordered 
to  proceed  to  Webster,  W.  Va.,  by  the  way  of  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  railroad,  where  a force  was  concentrating 
to  start  on  the  expedition  against  Lynchburg,  by  the  way 
of  Beverly  to  Staunton,  Va.,  at  which  place  it  was  to  form 
a junction  with  Gen.  Crook’s  forces,  moving  from  the 
Kanawha  Valley.  Gen.  Sigel  ordered  the  Twlefth  to  start 
in  the  advance  with  250  head  of  cattle  in  their  charge 
for  the  soldiers  to  subsist  upon.  The  regiment  succeeded 
in  getting  the  cattle  through  to  Beverly  42  miles  from 
Webster.  This  being  the  first  opportunity  the  members 
of  the  regiment  had  of  playing  the  part  of  “cow  boys” 
they  performed  the  task  with  the  zeal  of  novices  and  had 
a jolly  time  of  it.  We  found  the  Tenth  and  Eleventh 
West  Virginia  and  the  Twenty-eighth  Ohio  infantry  at 
Beverly. 

(322)  By  the  time  the  Twelfth  had  arrived  at  this 
place  with  the  cattle,  Sigel  was  convinced  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  get  his  artillery  through  on  this  route ; and 
he  changed  the  plan  of  moving  against  the  enemy,  to 
marching  up  the  Valley.  We  stayed  here  two  nights 
and  one  day,  when  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  return 
immediately  to  Webster  with  the  cattle.  We,  on  the 
return,  reached  Philippi,  the  11th.  Four  companies  C,  E, 
G and  I,  remained  here  a few  days  under  the  command  of 
Maj.  Brown.  The  rest  of  the  regiment  went  to  Web- 
ster with  the  cattle,  in  the  morning.  This  was  a hard 
and  worse  than  useless  march  of  84  miles  fro  m Web- 
ster to  Beverly  and  back.  The  weather  was  very  rainy 
and  we  had  to  march  through  deep  mud  well  mixed,  by 
the  driving  of  250  head  of  cattle  over  the  road.  The 
boys  talked  sarcastically  about  it,  saying  that  they  did 
not  understand  it,  but  that  they  supposed  this  movement 
was  strategy. 

(323)  On  our  return  in  passing  through  Belington,  a 


100 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


small  town  between  Beverly  and  Philippi,  a lieutenant, 
who  was  in  command  of  the  post  there  asked  Col.  Curtis 
where  he  intended  to  camp  that  night.  The  Colonel  in- 
formed him  that  in  coming  out  he  had  noticed  a farm  that 
was  supplied  with  a long  high  fence  of  new  rails;  and 
that  was  the  point  he  intended  to  make  as  it  would  give 
the  boys  an  opportunity  of  convienently  getting  good 
fuel  to  keep  up  ample  fires.  The  Lieutenant  replied, 
“That  is  the  very  place  you  should  go  into  camp.  You 
can't  punish  them  half  enough,  they  are  the  meanest 

d d Rebels  in  the  state.  They  assisted  a gang  of 

Rebel  soldiers  in  capturing  a large  train  of  wagons 
loaded  with  commissary  and  quartermaster  stores,  on 
their  way  to  Beverly  taking  all  the  goods  and  horses,  and 
burning  the  wagons.” 

(324)  The  regiment  proceeded  to  the  point  designated 
and  went  into  camp  along  the  line  of  fence.  One  of 
the  young  men  of  the  family  came  to  us  while  arrange- 
ments were  making  for  camping.  He  looked  as  though 
he  had  just  left  Mosby’s  gang  of  guerrillas.  The  Colonel 
approached  him  and  inquired  if  he  could  procure  some 
straw  for  the  men  to  sleep  on,  stating  that  the  ground 
was  damp  and  cold,  and  he  would  like  to  make  them  as 
comfortable  as  possible  sine  ethey  had  no  tents  or  shelter 
of  any  kind.  He  replied:  “No,  we  have  nothing  of  the 
kind  on  the  farm.  Everything  has  been  taken  from  us, 
and  we  have  been  compelled  to  cut  the  limbs  from  the 
trees  to  browse  our  cattle  on  to  keep  them  from  starving.” 
Of  course,  the  young  man  expected  that  this  statement 
would  be  accepted  as  the  truth. 

(325)  However,  the  Colonel  concluded  knowing  the 
capacity  of  the  Twelfth  boys  to  make  themselves  com- 
fortable, that  they  could  be  trusted  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves ; and  that  there  was  not  much  likelihood  that  they 
would  sleep  on  the  bare  ground  that  night.  This  con- 
clusion was  justified  about  one  hour  after  the  camp  was 


101 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


located.  At  that  time  a line  of  men  could  be  seen  with 
great  bundles  of  straw  coming  into  camp. 

(326)  Before  this  the  Colonel  had  walked  to  the  house 
to  get  quarters  for  himself  and  Surgeon  Bryon.  He 
procured  a room  from  the  old  lady.  She  appeared  to  be 
boss  of  the  ranch.  He  inquired  of  her  if  she  would 
sell  him  some  meat,  as  he  had  been  informed  by  the 
cook  of  his  mess,  that  the  supplies  of  meat  was  about 
exhausted.  She  replied  : “No,  we  have  not  a bit  of  meat 
for  our  own  family.” 

(327)  About  8 o’clock  at  night  there  was  a racket  out 
at  the  chicken  roost.  The  chickens  were  fluttering  and 
squalling  as  though  the  owls  had  attacked  them.  The  old 
lady’s  daughter  ran  out  to  learn  what  had  caused  the 
disturbance,  and  returned  very  shortly  saying:  “Mam, 
them  Yankees  are  stealing  all  our  chickens.”  The  boss 
of  the  ranch  ordered  the  Colonel  to  go  out  and  stop 
the  men  from  stealing  her  chickens.  He,  very  obiedently 
complied  with  the  orders,  and  returned  pretty  soon  re- 
porting that  he  failed  to  see  anyone  about  the  chicken 
roost  and  took  his  seat.  About  an  hour  afterwards,  the 
same  racket  of  fluttering  and  squalling  was  repeated. 
The  girl  ran  out  again,  and  after  making  a general  inspec- 
tion of  the  chicken  roost  ran  back  and  exclaimed : “Mam, 
them  infernal  soldiers  have  stole  every  chicken  we  have 
but  old  speck.”  And  then  the  old  sharp-nosed  thin 
visaged  Boss,  with  a tongue  apparently  loose  at  both 
ends,  rattled  her  slang  at  the  Colonel  at  a terrible  rate, 
calling  him  and  his  men  all  kinds  of  vile  names.  But 
her  troubles  did  not  end  here. 

(328)  The  next  morning  just  at  day  break  the  Boss 
rushed  into  his  bed  room,  and  seizing  him  by  the  shoul- 
ders and  shaking  him  shouted : “Get  up,  your  men  have 
stolen  all  my  meat.”  He  replied : “Why,  Madam,  you 
told  me  you  had  no  meat  about  your  house.”  “Yes,”  said 
she,  “but  I had,  and  your  men  have  undermined  my 
smoke  house  and  took  all  I had.”  He  informed  her  that 


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WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


she  had  done  wrong  in  telling  him  a falsehood  in  saying 
that  she  had  no  meat.  She  should  have  asked  for  a 
guard  to  protect  it.  She  then  demanded  that  a guard 
be  sent  to  search  the  regiment  to  see  if  it  could  be 
found.  This  was  done,  and  the  guard  returned  in  due 
time,  reporting  that  he  had  thoroughly  searched  the 
camp  and  no  meat  could  be  found.  He  may  have  made 
a correct  report;  nevertheless,  when  the  Colonel  joined 
his  mess  for  dinner  that  day,  he  found  a very  fine  roast 
of  ham  prepared  for  the  meal.  But  he  could  not  learn 
where  it  came  from. 

(329)  While  the  four  companies  before  named  were 
at  Philippi,  there  was  a considerable  amount  of  govern- 
ment revenue  stamps  stolen.  It  seemed  conclusive  that 
some  soldier  had  done  the  deed;  and  Maj.  Brown  had  a 
careful  and  earnest  search  made  of  every  man  of  the 
four  companies,  but  the  stamps  were  not  found.  The 
officers  and  men  generally  of  the  detachment  were 
indignantly  that  any  one  of  the  Twelfth  had  committed 
such  a crime,  feeling  that  it  brought  dishonor  upon  the 
whole  command.  They  would  have  been  pleased  if  the 
guilty  one  should  have  been  found  and  properly  pun- 
ished. Many  months  afterward,  it  is  said,  it  became 
pretty  generally  known  who  had  done  the  deed. 

(330)  The  detachment,  on  the  20th,  marched  to  Web- 
ster, joining  there  the  rest  of  the  regiment,  and  the 
next  day  in  accordance  with  orders  the  regiment  marched 
to  Grafton,  taking  the  cars  there  to  go  by  the  way  of 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  to  Martinsburg,  arriv- 
ing there  the  22nd,  in  the  evening,  and  camped  near 
the  First  Virginia  infantry  camp.  We  remained  at  Mar- 
tinsburg several  days,  and  there  were  inspections  and  a 
general  review  of  all  the  troops  here.  In  the  meantime 
there  was  organizd  in  the  second  brigade,  consisting  of 
the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts,  the  Fifty-fourth  Penn- 
sylvania, the  First  Virginia,  and  Twelfth  West  Virginia 
under  command  of  the  gallant  Col.  Joseph  Thoburn. 


103 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


(331)  We  had  now  got  started  on  a season  of  hard 
campaigning  which  was  the  run  into  the  late  fall.  We 
were  about  to  start  up  what  had  hitherto  been  in  the 
main  and  what  was  to  continue  to  be  for  a time,  with 
some  bright  exceptions,  the  Valley  of  defeat  and  humilia- 
tion ; but  which  was  in  the  end  to  be  the  Valley  of  glorious 
victory  for  the  arms  of  the  Union. 

(332)  The  28th,  the  command  received  orders  from 
Gen.  Sigel,  commander,  to  be  ready  to  march  at  8 
o’clock  in  the  morning  with  five  days’  rations  in  our 
haversacks.  We  set  out  on  the  march  in  the  morning 
at  the  appointed  time  on  the  Winchester  pike,  and 
marched  to  Bunker  Hill,  ten  miles  distant,  and  remained 
there  till  May  1st,  when  we  marched  through  and  to  a 
point  about  two  miles  beyond  Winchester.  All  along 
the  pike  from  Martinsburg  to  Winchester  on  the  march 
between  the  two  towns,  could  be  seen  the  graves  of 
soldiers  of  the  one  or  the  other  side  who  had  fallen  as 
victims  of  the  cruel,  bloody,  wicked  war.  There  was 
perhaps  not  a mile  of  the  whole  route  over  which  we 
passed  along  which  there  could  not  be  seen  a soldier’s 
grave;  and  at  Winchester  there  were  thousands  buried. 
Everywhere  could  be  seen  the  destructiveness  and 
paralyzing  effects  of  the  war.  Fences  were  torn  down, 
farms  were  stripped  of  live  stock,  high  grass  was  grow- 
ing up  to  the  edge  of  the  towns,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the 
country  was  deserted  by  its  inhabitants.  Everything  and 
the  condition  of  things  generally  were  object  lessons 
teaching  of  the  baleful  effects  of  war. 

(333)  On  this  day  we  passed  through  the  historic  and 
memorable  old  town  of  Winchester  and  camped  about 
two  miles  beyond  the  town.  The  next  day  we  had  brigade 
drill  under  the  supervision  of  Gen.  Sigel.  We  remained 
here  about  a week  during  which  time  the  organization 
of  the  army  was  completed.  Our  stay  here  afforded  the 
boys  of  the  Twelfth  an  opportunity  to  walk  over  the 
old  battle  ground  of  the  Winchester  battle  fought  on 


104 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


our  side  under  Gen.  Milroy.  The  boys  examined  the 
scene  of  the  battle  with  considerable  eager  curious 
interest. 

(334)  While  we  were  at  this  point,  there  were  extra 
precautions  taken  against  a surprise.  Strong  picket  forces 
were  kept  out,  five  companies  being  sent  out  on  some 
of  the  roads,  at  least,  and  orders  were  given  to  keep  one- 
third  of  the  men  up  at  night  all  the  time,  showing  that 
Gen.  Sigel  was  a vigilant  careful  commander.  This 
alertness  and  these  precautions  indicated  that  we  were 
drawing  near  the  enemy,  and  gave  a hint  of  coming  clash 
of  arms,  which  indeed  was  not  far  in  the  future. 

(335)  The  command  on  the  9th,  moved  up  the  Valley, 
our  brigade  in  advance  under  Col.  Thoburn.  We 
marched  13  miles  on  this  day  and  camped  in  the  evening 
at  Cedar  Creek.  The  bridge  across  this  creek  had  been 
destroyed,  and  it  had  to  be  rebuilt  before  the  command 
could  proceed  farther.  The  bridge  being  rebuilt,  we 
resumed  our  march  on  the  11th,  passing  through  Strats- 
burg,  and  camped  one  mile  short  of  reaching  Woodstock, 
the  distance  marched  being  14  miles. 

(336)  It  perhaps  should  have  been  noted  that  when 
the  command  reached  Fisher’s  Hill  after  leaving  Cedar 
Creek,  it  was  halted  and  the  men  were  ordered  to  load. 
Those  who  had  been  under  fire  before,  felt  the  gravity 
of  th  outlook,  and  it  was  noticeable  that  more  than  one 
brave  man  looked  very  serious  as  he  tore  the  paper 
from  his  cartridge. 

(337)  We  remained  at  our  camp  near  Woodstock  one 
day  with  nothing  unusual  occurring,  when  on  the  next 
day  our  regiment  with  two  pieces  of  artillery  was  ordered 
up  the  Valley  about  seven  miles,  one  mile  south  of  Edin- 
burgh, as  an  advance  picket.  Some  Rebel  cavalry  were 
seen  here  at  a distance.  Company  S,  was  deployed  across 
the  road  leading  south  with  orders  to  allow  no  one  to 
pass.  Soon  two  young  ladies,  in  passing  from  home  to 
town  discovered  the  pickets,  a member  of  the  company 


105 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


relates,  and  turned  to  run.  They  were  captured  after  an 
exciting  chase  and  sent  to  town,  and  ordered  to  remain 
there  till  the  next  morning.  There  was  a pouring  rain 
that  night  and  the  soldiers  got  a taste  of  the  beauties  of 
soldier  life,  getting  thoroughly  soaked  with  rain.  Some 
tried  to  sleep;  others  preferred  to  stand  or  sit  around 
roaring  fires.  In  some  cases  those  who  tried  to  sleep 
found  the  water  collecting  in  pools  around  their  bodies. 

(338)  It  was  at  this  place  and  time  or  near  it,  it  is 
believed,  that  an  incident  occurred  which  shows,  as  far 
as  it  goes,  that  a soldier  would  better  obey  orders.  The 
writer  of  this  was  for  the  night,  assigned  to  Company 
C,  to  go  with  it  on  picket,  there  being  only  one  com- 
missioned officer  of  the  company  present  at  the  time. 
All  was  quiet  at  the  picket  post  in  the  night  and  in  the 
morning  John  W.  Crow  and  another  soldier  asked  Capt. 
Bartlett  of  the  company,  if  they  might  go  to  a house 
several  hundred  yards  distant  to  get  some  bread.  He 
said  that  they  might  go,  but  told  them  to  not  go  any 
farther.  It  was  a spider-and-the-fly-case — they  did  not 
come  back  again.  At  all  events  we  did  not  see  them 
for  several  months  afterward,  when  they  came  back  as 
exchanged  prisoners.  They  then  told  that  when  they 
went  to  the  house  mentioned,  the  mistress  said  that  she 
had  no  bread,  but  she  thought  they  could  get  it  at  a 
house  a little  farther  off,  probably  knowing  what  would 
happen  if  they  went  there.  They  went  and  were  captured. 
No  doubt  they  often  deeply  regretted  their  disobedience 
of  orders. 

(339)  The  Twelfth  was  relieved  from  picket  in  the 
morning  by  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Ohio 
and  the  Eighteenth  Connecticut,  and  we  returned  to  our 
camp  near  Edinburgh,  the  rain  still  falling.  On  our  way 
we  met  the  First  Virginia  and  the  Thirty  fourth  Massa- 
chusetts going  up  the  pike.  It  began  to  look  as  though 
things  were  approaching  a crisis.  In  the  morning  at  2 
o’clock  May  15th,  Companys  A,  B,  F,  and  I,  were  ordered 


106 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


back  to  Edinburg  to  take  the  place  of  the  regiments  that 
had  relieved  us  the  morning  before,  in  order  that  they 
might  go  to  reinfroce  the  First  Virginia  and  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Massachusetts  which  had  met  some  of  the  enemy, 
and  had  had  considerable  fighting  with  them  the  evening 
and  night  of  the  14th. 

(340)  About  8 o'clock  A.  M.  the  rest  of  the  force  came 
up  and  we  rejoining  our  rgeiment,  all  pushed  on  to 
Mount  Jackson  about  14  miles  from  our  camp  at  Wood- 
stock. 

(341)  At  Mount  Jackson  we  went  into  camp,  but  were 
ordered  to  move  out  in  less  than  thirty  minutes.  The  four 
regiments  in  advance  having  engaged  the  Rebels  at  New 
Market  six  miles  farther  up,  we  marched  in  the  direction 
of  the  fighting. 

(342)  The  morning  had  been  clear,  but  soon  after 
crossing  the  Shenandoah  at  Mount  Jackson  it  began 
raining.  Cannonading  could  be  distinctly  heard  in  our 
front,  telling  of  serious  work  going  on  there  and  pre- 
saging a share  of  it  for  us,  the  regiments  moving  to  the 
assistance  of  our  comrades.  We  crossed  the  North 
Branch  of  the  Shenandoah  about  one  mile  from  Mount 
Jackson.  The  marching  after  leaving  this  place  had  been 
rapid- and  laborious  through  rain  and  mud,  but  soon  we 
were  ordered  to  double  quick  which  we  kept  up  for  a 
few  miles,  till  at  about  2 o’clock  P.  M.  we  reached  the 
field  of  battle,  and  were  hastily  formed  in  line  of  battle 
under  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  their  balls  at  this  time,  how- 
ever, passing  harmlessly  over  us. 

(343)  Our  entire  brigade  under  Col.  Thoburn  was 
formed  on  the  right  of  the  pike,  the  two  regiments  which 
had  been  with  Col.  Moore  at  the  front  having  returned  to 
their  own  brigade,  Thoburn’s.  Col.  Moor  with  two  regi- 
ments of  his  brigade,  the  Eighteenth  Connecticut,  the 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Ohio  infantry  with  a 
small  body  of  cavalry  was  left  something  in  advance.  The 


107 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


two  other  regiments  of  his  brigade  were  a considerable 
distance  in  the  rear  with  the  wagon  train. 

(3-44)  The  Twelfth  as  best  can  be  gathered  from  a M. 
S.  by  Col.  Curtis,  was  first  formed  in  line  at  some  con- 
siderable distance  in  rear  of  the  three  other  regiments 
of  our  brigade;  but  this  was  scarcely  more  than  done 
“when  we  were  withdrawn”  as  Col.  Curtis  says,  and 
formed  close  in  the  rear,  say  within  60  yards  of  the 
Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts,  and  the  First  Virginia, 
except  two  companies.  A and  B,  which  were  sent  to  the 
right  to  support  Carlan’s  battery. 

(345)  The  eight  companies  had  scarcely  thus  formed 
in  line  when  we  heard  in  our  front  for  the  first  time  the 
much  mentioned  Rebel  yell.  Gen.  Breckinridge  in  com- 
mand of  the  Rebel  force  had  moved  to  the  attack  with 
about  5,000  men,  and  overlapping  Moor  had  soon  driven 
him  to  the  rear.  With  scarcely  a halt  he  moved  on  to 
the  attack  of  Thoburn’s  brigade,  the  main  line,  but  was 
repulsed  by  a gallant  charge  made  here. 

(346)  Just  where  the  Rebels  raised  the  yell  in  making 
their  charge,  Gen.  Sigel  rode  up  to  the  eight  companies 
of  the  Twelfth  and  ordered  it  into  column  by  division  to 
resist  the  charge;  but  when  the  charge  was  repulsed,  we 
were  put  into  line  again,  and  ordered  to  lie  down.  The 
Twelfth  had  a bad  position.  We  were  placed  where  we 
could  do  no  good  and  yet  where  we  suffered  seriously,  a 
more  trying  position  on  a soldier  than  where  he  has  a 
chance  to  return  the  fire.  There  are  no  data  at  hand 
showing  the  loss  of  the  regiment,  but  the  compiler’s  own 
company  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  seven  men  in  this 
engagement. 

(347)  The  battle  was  short,  sharp,  the  losses  heavy  on 
each  side  and  for  a while  the  result  doubtful.  It  was 
quite  generally  said  by  our  men  after  the  battle  that  at 
one  time  just  before  our  line  gave  way,  the  Rebel  line 
was  breaking.  The  Rebel  account  goes  to  sustain  this 
statement.  Col.  J.  Stoddard  Johnston  of  Breckinridge’s 


108 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


staff  says,  according  to  Pond’s  “The  Shenandoah  in  1864, 
that"  when  his  (Breckenridge’s)  line  had  reached  within 
two  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy,  the  position  was  very 
critical,  and  for  a time  it  seemed  doubtful  as  to  which 
would  be  the  first  to  give  way.”  It  is  thus  seen  how  near 
we  were  to  gaining  a victory.  Had  Moor’s  two  regi- 
ments been  drawn  back  and  formed  in  line  with  the  rest 
of  the  infantry  and  not  left  where  they  could  do  little 
or  no  good;  and  if  Sigel  had  formed  his  infantry  in  our 
line  as  the  enemy  were,  according  to  the  authority  men- 
tioned, it  is  no  violent  presumption  to  say  that  the  vic- 
tory would  probably  have  been  with  our  troops. 

(348)  The  doubtfbul  struggle  was  finally  decided  by 
our  line  giving  way  in  some  confusion  and  Sigel  ordered 
a retreat.  We  fell  back  slowly.  Imboden’s  official  report 
confirms  this*saying : “Sigel’s  entire  line  retired  slowly.” 
The  enemy  did  not  press  us  much;  for  if  we  had  suffered 
severely  they  had  also.  The  Lexington  cadet  battalion  of 
250  lost  more  than  one-fourth  their  number  in  killed  and 
wounded.  That  one  fight  seemed  to  do  them ; they  were 
not  present  at  the  battle  of  Piedmont,  three  weeks  later, 
though  it  was  nearer  home.  In  fact,  they  were  never 
heard  of  in  battle  again.  It  is  remembered  that  a Har- 
risburg newspaper  obtained  as  we  went  up  the  V alley,  two 
weeks  after  the  battle  of  New  Market,  under  Hunter,  I 
amented  the  heavy  loss  of  the  Cadets  in  that  battle;  and 
urged  that  they  should  not  be  put  into  another  engage- 
ment, saying  that  the  young  men  or  boys  should  be  saved 
for  the  next  war. 

(349)  Then  we  had  retreated  as  far  as  Rude’s  Hill,  a 
mile  or  two,  we  met  the  two  regiments,  the  One  Hundred 
and  Sixteenth,  and  the  Twenty-eighth  Ohio  infantry  that 
had  been  in  the  rear  and  were  not  in  the  engagement ; and 
they  covered  the  retreat  from  this  point  to  Mount  Jackson, 
where  we  crossed  the  river,  halted  and  formed  in  line  of 
battle.  The  Rebels  came  close  enough  to  throw  a few 
shells  but  not  close  enough  to  be  within  musket  shot. 


109 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


After  dark  we  resumed  the  retreat  and  continued  it,  with 
stops  for  rests  and  meals,  until  we  arrived  at  Cedar  Creek 
the  next  day,  the  16th,  when  our  retreat  came  to  an  end. 

(350)  There  is  nothing  so  successful  as  success;  but  it 
seems  that  there  is  no  excuse  taken  for  failure  in  war, 
neither  by  those  in  or  out  of  authority.  Col.  Curtis 
records  that  the  boys  of  the  Twelfth  in  going  up  the 
Valley  were  constantly  singing  “We  Fights  Mit  Sigel” 
but  on  the  retreat  their  song  was  changed  to  “We  Fights 
no  more  mit  Sigel.”  One  of  the  things  that  the  officers 
and  men  of  the  Twelfth  were  displeased  with  and  which 
they  criticised  severely  was  the  fact  that  we  were  so  placed 
in  that  battle  that  we  could  not  fire  on  the  enemy  without 
firing  into  our  own  men,  and  yet  so  close  to  the  front 
line  that  we  suffered  severely  from  the  enemies  fire. 

(351)  It  will  be  seen,  however,  from-Mre  following 
letter  from  Gen.  Sigel  which  tells  why  the  battle  was 
fought  just  when  and  where  it  was,  and  other  details 
which  the  survivors  of  the  Twelfth  will  read  no  doubt 
with  eager  interest,  that  he  disclaims  responsibility  for 
the  regiment’s  final  bad  position  on  the  field  of  battle.  And 
it  is  inferred  from  Col.  Curtis  M.  S.  before  mentioned 
wherein  he  speaks  of  our  being  “withdrawn”  from  our 
first  position  and  placed  in  our  final  one,  that  he  sup- 
posed this  was  done  by  competent  authority.  It  appears 
that  no  one  knows  who  was  responsible  for  the  blunder. 
Sigel’s  letter  is  given  nearly  in  full : 

352)  New  York,  August  19th,  1891. 

Lieut.  Wm.  Hewitt,  Linton,  Ohio. 

Dear  Sir : 

The  advance  of  my  forces  up  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
was  made  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  Gen.  Crook’s  move- 
ment from  the  Kanawha  Valley,  by  inducing  Breckin- 
ridge, who  commanded  in  southwest  Virginia,  to  detach  a 
part  of  his  forces  against  me.  To  attain  this  object  we 
advanced  as  far  as  Woodstock.  From  this  place  Col. 
Moor  was  sent  forward  on  a reconnoitering  expedition  in 


110 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


the  direction  of  Mount  Jackson  to  ascertain  the  move- 
ments of  the  enemy,  as  from  the  telegraphic  dispatches 
captured  at  Woodstock,  we  found  that  Breckinridge  was 
moving  down  the  Shenandoah  Valley  against  us. 

(353)  In  the  evening  and  during  the  night  of  the  14th 
of  May,  it  was  acertained  that  Col.  Moor  had  passed 
Mount  Jackson  and  had  met  a part  of  Breckinridge's 
forces  ; I,  therefore,  moved  forward  to  Mount  Jackson, 
to  be  nearer  him  (Moor)  and  for  the  reason  that  I 
intended  to  await  Breckinridge’s  attack  at  that  place.  We 
arrived  at  Mount  Jackson  on  the  morning  of  the  15th, 
and  found  that  Moor  had  gone  as  far  as  New  Market, 
seven  miles  from  Mount  Jackson;  that  Breckenridge  was 
near  him,  and  had  made  an  attack  on  him  during  the 
night  of  the  14th,  which  was  repulsed. 

(354)  Made  aware  of  the  exposed  position  of  the  little 
force  of  Moor,  I immediately  sent  orders  for  him  to 
return  to  Mount  Jackson,  and  to  Gen.  Stahl  to  move  for- 
ward with  the  main  force  of  our  cavalry  to  cover  the 
retreat  of  Moor,  and  retard  the  movement  of  the  enemy. 
But  this  movement  was  executed  so  slowly  and  the  dis- 
tance from  Mount  Jackson  to  New  Market  was  com- 
paratively so  great,  that  I resolved  to  move  forward  with 
my  whole  force,  after  having  waited  over  an  hour  for 
an  answer  to  my  orders  sent  to  Moor  and  Sullivan. 

(355)  While  the  troops  were  in  motion  I rode  forward 
myself,  accompanied  by  an  aid,  as  far  as  Rude’s  Hill ; and 
on  my  way  was  met  by  Capt.  Alexander,  who  had  been 
sent  by  Col.  Moor  and  he  reported  that  his  ((Moor’s) 
troops  were  in  an  excellent  position  and  that  I should 
come  to  their  assistance.  Under  these  circumstances,  I 
sent  back  to  our  troops  to  hasten  their  march  towards 
New  Market;  while  I went  forward  to  meet  those  of 
Moor  and  Stahl.  I arrived  near  New  Market  about  noon, 
and  before  the  enemy  began  his  attack. 

(356)  It  now  became  clear  to  me  that  all  the  troops 
could  not  reach  the  position  close  to  New  Market;  I 


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HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


therefore  ordered  Col.  Moor  to  evacuate  his  position 
slowly,  covered  by  cavalry,  and  to  fall  back  into  a new 
position,  which  was  selected  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  north  of  New  Market  right  and  left  of  the  turn 
pike  leading  to  Mount  Jackson.  During  this  time  I sent 
two  officers,  Captains  McEstee  and  T.  G.  Putnam  back  to 
Gen.  Sullivan  who  was  in  command  of  the  infantry 
division,  with  orders  to  bring  forward  all  his  troops 
without  delay,  and  at  the  moment  when  Col.  Moor  was 
approaching  the  new  line  from  his  position  in  advance, 
it  was  reported  to  me  by  Capt.  R.  G.  Pendergast,  com- 
mander of  my  escort,  whom  I also  had  sent  back  to  hurry 
the  troops  up  that  all  the  infantry  and  artillery  of  Gen. 
Sullivan  had  arrived  (the  head  of  the  column  being  in 
sight)  and  that  they  were  waiting  for  orders. 

(357)  Supposing  this  report  to  be  correct,  I formed 
the  line  of  battle,  Col.  Thoburn’s  brigade  and  two  bat- 
teries on  the  right,  while  Col.  Moor  was  ordered  to  form 
on  the  left  of  Thoburn.  The  Twelfth  West  Virginia, 
and  Dupont’s  battery  took  position  behind  the  right  of 
Thoburn’s  brigade  as  a reserve,  and  two  companies  of  the 
Twelfth  West  Virginia  were  posted  behind  the  batteries 
on  the  right  for  their  support,  Von  Ivleiser’s  battery  was 
in  the  center  of  the  line,  Ewing’s  on  the  left,  and  the 
cavalry  behind  the  extreme  left  and  some  behind  the 
center.  My  own  position  during  the  battle  was  in  the 
line  between  the  batteries  on  the  right,  and  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Massachusetts  (Col.  Wells)  as  on  the  right  the 
principal  attack  of  the  enemy  was  directed.  With  me 
was  an  orderly,  a young  man  of  17  years  who  held 
bravely  out  during  the  whole  fight.  My  staff  officers 
were  some  distance  behind  the  line,  near  Dr.  Rice’s  house. 

(358)  The  battle  which  now  followed  has  been  de- 
scribed in  “Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,”  and 
therefore,  I need  not  go  into  details.  I simply  desired  to 
show  that  I was  neither  surprised,  nor  did  I accept  the 
engagement  without  good  reason  and  full  deliberation. 


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But  in  accepting  it  on  the  place  and  ground  it  was 
fought.  I was  misled  by  the  report  of  Capt.  Pendegrast 
in  whom  I trusted,  as  he  was  an  efficient  and  brave 
officer.  He  reported  two  regiments  the  One  Hundred 
and  Sixteenth  and  the  Twenty-eighth  Ohio  present  and 
awaiting  orders,  while  we  found  them,  after  the  battle,  at 
Rude’s  Hill,  one  and  a half  miles  back  from  our  line.  I 
am  ignorant  up  to  this  day  of  what  was  the  unfortunate 
cause  which  kept  them  back,  as  I was  relieved  soon  after 
the  battle,  and  had  no  opportunity  of  investigating  the 
matter. 

(359)  There  were  some  other  disadvantages  against 
us  in  this  battle,  but  after  all,  our  troops  fought  bravely 
and  so  did  those  of  the  enemy.  We  lost  93  in  killed 
and  552  in  wounded,  the  enemy  42  and  522  respectively. 

(360)  After  the  battle  we  retreated  to  Rude’s  Hill, 
formed  line  and  remained  about  half  an  hour,  whence 
we  withdrew  to  Mount  Jackson,  which  was  done  slowly 
and  in  perfect  order.  We  remained  there  for  two  hours, 
during  which  time  as  Lietu.  Col.  Lincoln  says  in  his 
“Life  with  the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment,” 
the  men  ate  their  supper,  the  injured  were  looked  up,  their 
wounds  examined  and  dressed  and  the  slightly  wounded 
placed  in  ambulances  for  transportation.  Those  more 
severely  wounded  were  disposed  of  in  the  hospital  build- 
ings of  Mount  Jackson,  and  left  under  charge  of  Asst. 
Surgeon  Allen  of  the  Thirty-fourth.  These  arrange- 
ments completed  at  about  9 P.  M.,  the  column  was  again 
put  in  motion,  the  Thirty-fourth  bringing  up  the  rear. 

(361)  It  will  be  seen  from  these  statements  that  we 
did  not  “flee  in  disorder”  from  our  position  at  Rude’s 
Hill  to  Mount  Jackson  and  Cedar  Creek,  nor  lose  or  burn 
any  wagons,  nor  “forsake”  our  sick  and  wounded,  as 
was  publicly  proclaimed  at  the  time,  nor  did  the  enemy 
capture  any  muskets  except  those  of  our  killed  and 
severely  wounded,  left  on  the  field. 

(362)  We  were  beaten  but  not  disheartened.  We 


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HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


went  back  to  Cedar  Creek,  because  all  our  ambulances 
were  filled  with  the  wounded  whom  we  could  not  trans- 
port without  a strong  force  of  protection,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  disengaging  ourselves  of  a train  of  200 
wagons  destined  for  Gen.  Crook.  We  reached  Edinburg 
at  7 o’clock  in  the  morning  and  Strasburg  at  5 in  the 
evening  of  the  16th. 

(363)  On  the  17th  an  ambulance  was  sent  to  Mount 
Jackson  by  flag  of  truce  loaded  with  supplies  for  our 
wounded.  On  the  18th,  a detachment  of  infantry,  cavalry 
and  artillery,  under  Col.  Wells  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Mas- 
sachusetts, was  sent  to  Strasburg  and  the  cavalry  ad- 
vanced to  Fisher’s  Hill,  the  pickets  of  the  enemy  retiring 
before  them.  On  the  same  day  reinforcement  were 
approaching  from  Harpers  Ferry,  and  I sent  a telegram  to 
Gen.  Crook  on  the  Kanawha  to  prepare  for  an  ad- 
vance. On  the  20th,  Gen.  Hunter  arrived  and  on  the  21st, 
I was  relieved  from  the  command  of  the  department  and 
by  the  request  of  Gen.  Hunter  took  command  of  Reserve 
Division,  with  headquarters  at  Harpers  Ferry. 

(364)  As  to  the  Twelfth  West  Virginia,  it  consisted 

of  good  and  brave  officers  and  men.  It  was  very  well 
drilled  in  the  manual  of  arms ; but  as  was  natural,  con- 
sidering the  little  time  they  had  practiced  it,  deficient  in 
battalion  drill ; so  that  it  was  difficult  for  me  at  the 
commencement  of  the  battle  to  bring  them  from  line  into 
colum  and  vice  versa.  This  created  considerable  trouble 
at  the  beginning  of  the  fight  when  they  left  their  position 
in  reserve,  came  forward  and  fired  over  the  heads  of 
the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts.  I do  not  believe  that 
Col.  Curtis  gave  them  the  order  to  do  so.  * * * But 

such  things  happen  sometimes  with  inexperienced  troops, 
and  I am  very  glad  to  know  that  the  regiment,  under 
its  same  brave  commander,  fully  redeemed  its  honor  by 
its  gallant  conduct  in  the  battle  of  Piedmont  and  on  other 
occasions. 

(365)  Our  whole  campaign  and  especially  the  battle  of 


114 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


New  Market,  were  a wholesome  lesson  for  them  and 
prepared  them  to  become  what  they  afterward  were. 

(366)  I think  I have  now  given  you  the  most  import- 
ant facts  and  features  of  the  case ; and  assure  you  that  I 
shall  always  remember  with  kindness  and  gratitude  the 
services  of  the  Twlefth  West  Virginia. 

Very  Truly  Yours, 

F.  SIGEL, 

Late  Maj.  Gen.  of  Vols. 

(367)  According  to  Pond  before  cited,  General  W.  S. 
Lincoln,  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts  infantry 
shows  that  the  aggregate  of  Breckinridge’s  infantry  the 
day  after  the  battle  aws  4,047.  We  therefore  musthavehad 
about  4,500  infantry  in  the  battle  as  according  to  Rebel 
authority  (See  Pond)  they  had  no  reserves.  It  would 
appear  therefore  that  we  were  out  numbered,  we  having 
only  five  regiments  of  infantry  so  disposed  and  handled 
as  to  be  effective ; while  the  enemy  had  three  brigades 
and  the  Cadet  battalion  of  infantry.  Our  infantry  and 
artillery  had  to  stand  the  brunt  of  the  battle  and  it  is  no 
disparagement  to  them  under  the  circumstances  that  they 
were  worsted  in  the  engagement. 

(368)  Whatever  may  be  said  of  Sigel’s  generalship 
regarding  the  battle  of  New  Market,  it  must  be  said  that 
he  acted  bravely ; was  right  in  the  thick  of  the  fight  all 
the  time  and  after  the  battle  began  did  the  best  he  could 
to  save  the  day.  And  in  view  of  the  heavy  losses  sus- 
tained on  each  side  in  the  battle,  and  our  slow  and  orderly 
retreat  to  Cedar  Creek,  the  following  message  sent  to 
Grant  by  Hallick : “Sigel  is  in  full  retreat  on  Strasburg. 
He  will  do  nothing  but  run ; never  did  anything  else,” 
is  markedly  untrue  and  undeserved,  and  so  far  as  it  seems 
to  imply  that  Sigel  was  cowardly,  is  grossly  unjust,  as 
his  entire  command  at  New  Market  would  testify. 

(369)  A day  or  two  after  Sigel’s  command  had  fallen 
back  to  Cedar  Creek.  He  called  on  the  Twelfth  to  fur- 
nish a squad  of  volunteer  scouts  to  go  up  the  Valley  and 


115 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


learn  what  the  strength  of  the  enemy  in  our  front  was. 
Corporal  De  Bee,  of  the  regiment  and  six  or  eight  men 
vounteered  to  go.  They  went  to  Sigel’s  headquarters  for 
instructions.  He  told  them  to  go  into  a house  and  put 
on  citizens  cloths  and  go  right  into  the  enemy’s  camp 
and  learn  their  strength.  The  boys  answer  “Yes,”  as  if 
to  say  that  the  understood  and  would  do  so;  but  at  the 
same  time  there  was  an  unexpressed  conclusion  that  they 
were  not  anxious  to  wear  citizens  cloths  on  that  trip  and 
they  would  forego  that  pleasure. 

(370)  The  scouts  started  out  on  that  expedition 
traveling  nearly  all  of  that  day,  along  on  North  Moun- 
tain, it  is  believed.  After  they  had  traveled  a while,  three 
or  four  of  the  squad  concluded  that  they  would  turn  back, 
which  they  did,  but  the  rest  of  the  boys  being  more  pluck” 
kept  on,  and  in  the  evening  they  came  in  sight  of  the 
Rebel  camp.  In  the  morning  the  boys  found  such  a posi- 
tion as  from  which  they  could  view  the  entire  camp  of 
the  enemy,  and  they  carefully  counted  the  number  of 
tents  they  had,  and  then  started  on  the  return  to  Cedar 
Creek,  arriving  there  sometime  during  the  day.  When 
they  reached  our  pickets  they  (the  latter)  not  being  of 
the  Twelfth  and  not  knowing  the  scouts,  sent  them  into 
camp  under  guard.  The  scouts  reported  to  Sigel  that 
they  had  found  the  Rebel  camp,  giving  its  locality  and 
said  that  they  counted  the  number  of  tents  in  it,  telling 
the  nmber,  Sigel  complimented  Corporal  De  Bee  and  his 
comrades  for  what  they  had  done  saying  that  they  had 
given  him  more  information  than  he  had  got  from  all 
the  cavalry  that  had  been  out  scouting. 

(371)  Here  is  a humorous  incident  of  the  battle  of  New 
Market  that  was  current  among  the  boys  afterward.  As 
well  as  can  be  recalled  it  was  told  thus : Col.  Wells  of 
the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts  was  a strict  disciplinear- 
ian,  but  in  defiance  of  this  fact  the  boys  of  his  regiment 
would  sometimes  fire  off  their  guns  in  camp.  In  such 
cases  he  was  want  to  say  “Orderly,  orderly  go  and 


116 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


ascertain  who  fired  that  gun  and  report  him  to  me 
immediately.” 

(872)  This  order  of  the  Colonel’s  having  been 
repeated  in  the  same  .stereotyped  language  at  different 
times  impressed  itself  upon  the  minds  of  the  boys  of 
the  Thirty-fourth  and  became  a matter  of  remark  and 
jest  among  them.  Well  at  the  battle  of  New  Market 
when  the  battle  was  opening  and  the  first  gun  or  so 
was  fired,  some  fellow  that  regiment  with  character- 
istic American  humor,  who  was  bound  to  have  his  joke 
if  it  was  to  be  his  last  on  earth  yelled  out,  “Orderly, 
orderly,  go  and  ascertain  who  fired  that  gun  and  report 
him  to  me  immediately.” 

(373)  Comrade  Jas.  N.  Miller,  of  Company  A,  taken 
prisoner  at  the  battle  of  New  Market  tells  of  an  incident 
of  the  battle,  and  his  prison  experience  as  follows : 

(374)  The  first  man  killed  in  Company  A,  if  I remem- 
ber rightly,  was  John  A.  Christman.  He  was  a recruit, 
who  came  to  us  at  Harpers  Ferry,  in  the  winter  of 
1863-64.  He  was  a light  hearted  fellow,  somewhat 
reckless,  who  carried  a fiddle  often  playing  and  singing. 
At  the  battle  of  New  Market  as  we  were  going  into  the 
fight,  Christman  and  I were  in  file  together.  The  bat- 
tle had  begun  and  the  cannons  were  booming.  He  said  to 
me  in  his  jovial  way,  “Hickory” — that  was  the  nick- 
name the  boys  gave  me  because  I was  “tough”  physically 
— “I  hope  I will  be  killed  to  day.’  I said  to  him  as 
calmly  as  I could  for  my  heart  was  up  in  my  throat  like 
a great  lump.  “Christman,  you  oughtn’t  to  talk  that 
way.”  “Well,”  he  replied,  “I  don’t  care.” 

(375)  We  lay  down  along  side  of  a battery  which 
was  firing  and  I saw  Gen.  Sigel  on  his  horse  giving 
orders  to  “fire  percussion !”  The  fortune  of  war  threw 
Christman  in  the  front  rank  and  he  being  a large  man, 
and  I a slender  boy,  I crouched  down  behind  him.  The 
Rebels  were  charging  upon  us,  and  about  the  first  ball 
that  came  near  us  struck  Christman  in  the  breast ; and 


117 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


he  died  without  a sound.  After  the  fight  in  which  I 
was  captured,  I helped  to  carry  his  body  off  the  field 
and  into  a little  stable  or  some  kind  of  an  out  building, 
and  I supposed  it  was  buried  by  the  Rebels. 

(376)  After  the  death  of  Christman  and  before  we 
got  a chance  to  return  the  fire  of  the  Rebels  our  com- 
pany was  ordered  to  the  right  of  the  line  to  prevent  a 
flank  movement.  This  threw  us  over  a hill  into  a 
woods,  and  we  did  not  notice  that  the  main  line  was 
being  driven  back  until  it  was  quite  a distance  away. 
Then  when  we  discovered  this  we  “skedaddled”  as  fast 
as  our  legs  would  carry  us. 

(377)  Becoming  exhausted  I fell  behind.  Seeing 
three  fellows  in  blue  cloths  in  a field  to  the  right,  I sup- 
posed they  were  some  of  our  boys,  and  got  over  a fence 
next  to  them.  They  aimed  their  guns  at  me  and  yelled 
out  to  surrender.  I first  thought  I would  jump  back 
over  the  fence  and  try  to  escape,  but  I saw  it  was  no 
use,  and  held  up  my  hand.  They  had  on  homespun 
cloths  of  blueish  color.  One  of  them,  a sergeant  of  a 
Georgia  regiment,  took  me  to  the  rear,  and  treated  me 
very  kindly  allowing  me  to  pick  up  a haversack  and  a 
blanket,  and  this  latter  probably  saved  my  life. 

(378)  I reached  Andersonville  the  29th  of  May,  and 
endured  with  others  the  oft-told  horrors  of  that  place. 
It  took  the  scurvey  and  the  diarrhoea  but  on  the  10th 
of  September  I managed  to  “flank  out,”  in  company 
with  Sergeant  Rodgers  and  Col.  Cooke  of  the  Eighteenth 
Pennsylvania  cavalry,  who  had  known  me  at  Waynes- 
burg  in  their  state.  Instead  of  being  exchanged  I was 
sent  wth  others  to  Florence,  Ala.  Here  there  was  no 
prison  ready  for  us,  and  by  getting  some  of  the  pure 
air  of  that  place  and  also  some  vegetables  I got  better 
of  the  scurvey.  Sergeant  Rodgers  ran  the  guards  here 
and  got  away,  and  I would  have  gone  with  him,  but 
my  leg  was  bent  nearly  double  with  the  scurvy,  so  that 
I knew  that  I would  hinder  him  and  we  would  both 
be  captured. 


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(379)  On  the  8th  of  December,  I was  paroled  with 
a thousand  of  the  sick  and  sent  to  Charleston  Harbor, 
S.  C.,  and  transferred  to  our  lines.  I never  was 
exchanged,  so  I suppose  I am  still  a prisoner  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy. 

(380)  The  hardest  thing  in  all  my  prison  life  was  to 
feel  that  as  a soldier  I was  practically  useless  except  to 
aid  in  keeping  some  Rebel  soldiers  out  of  the  field. 
While  our  regiment  was  winning  its  first  victory  at 
Piedmont  and  enduring  the  terrible  march  from  Lynch- 
burg and  helping  the  peerless  Sheridan  to  send  Jubal 
Early  “whirling”  up  the  Valley,  I was  lying  in  the  sands 
at  Andersonville  and  Florence,  missing  all  the  glorious 
record  of  the  regiment.  But  it  was  the  fate  of  war. 
So  far  as  the  chances  of  death  were  concerned,  however, 
the  percent  of  mortality  was  greater  in  prison  than  in 
the  field. 

(381)  I could  write  many  pages  of  incidents  in  prison 
life  but  one  must  suffice.  At  Florence  there  was  some 
clothing  sent  through  the  lines  to  us  by  our  Sanitary 
Commission.  It  was  given  out  to  the  most  needy,  and 
there  wasn’t  much  choice.  I tore  my  only  shirt  (which 
I hadn’t  washed  for  three  months)  up  into  strips  so 
that  it  barely  hung  together,  in  order  that  I might  get 
a new  one.  The  first  day  of  the  distribution  I gave  it 
to  one  of  my  companions — I think  it  was  Freeman 
Youkin — and  he  went  up  to  where  the  clothing  was  being 
distributed,  and  came  back  with  a new  shirt  which  he 
got  on  the  strength  of  his  (my)  old  one.  The  next  day 
my  detachment  was  called  and  when  the  distributing 
officers  reached  me  he  asked  me  if  that  was  my  only 
shirt.  I replied  that  it  was.  “Well,”  he  said,  “you  had 
better  get  a needle  and  thread  and  sew  it  up.  for  you 
can’t  get  another  new  shirt  on  the  strength  of  that  one.” 
So  I got  left. 

(382)  Private  W.  C.  Mahan  of  Company  I,  tells  the 
story  of  his  being  taken  prisoner  and  his  prison  life  as 
follows : 


119 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


(383)  At  the  battle  of  New  Market  Private  Wm. 
Thompson  of  my  company  was  badly  wounded,  his  leg 
being  broken  by  a musket  ball.  Another  man  of  the 
company  and  I started  to  carry  him  off  the  field.  We 
were  told  that  we  would  find  the  ambulances  at  a certain 
place,  but  we  failed  to  find  them ; and  having  to  carry 
the  wounded  man  we  feel  behind,  and  were  captured. 
At  night,  we  the  able  prisoners,  were  allowed  to  go 
under  guard  out  over  the  field  to  hunt  up  our  wounded. 
A Captain  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts,  who  was 
himself  wounded,  found  his  brother  on  the  field  wounded. 
I recall  to  mind  that  I saw  the  Rebel  Gen.  Breckinridge 
talking  to  this  Captain.  Some  of  our  wounded  were 
put  into  an  old  house  that  night  and  our  unwounded 
carried  water  to  them. 

(384)  We,  the  prisoners,  were  taken  via.  Staunton  to 
Lynchburg.  We  were  kept  at  this  latter  place  for  a 
few  days.  Here  one  day  two  of  our  men  got  to  talking 
about  somebody  with  whose  conduct  on  the  way  here, 
I believe  they  were  displeased,  using  some  pretty  severe 
terms  about  him.  The  guard  who  was  nearest  them,  a 
quite  young  fellow,  thinking  or  pretending  to  think  that 
they  were  talking  about  him  though  they  were  neither 
talking  to,  nor  about  him,  shot  one  of  the  men,  killing 
him.  It  seemed  as  though  this  young  Rebel  thought 
that  he  had  done  a great  thing  in  killing  a Union  soldier, 
for  he,  insisting  on  doing  so,  followed  the  box  with  the 
corps,  to  the  grave.  Some  of  the  other  Rebels  con- 
demned the  conduct  of  this  young  fellow  as  being  bar- 
barous and  brutal. 

(385)  We  were  taken  from  here  to  Andersonville  by 
rail.  We  got  along  very  slowly,  being  detained  on  the 
way  by  the  enemy’s  use  of  the  road  in  carrying  their  own 
soldiers  and  etc.  We  were  perhaps  a week  or  ten  days 
on  the  way.  At  one  time,  we  were  two  days  without 
food.  During  one  of  our  delays  on  the  route  the  Rebel 
women  brought  food  for  their  own  men,  but  none  for 


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us.  They  had  a little  darkey  boy  with  them,  who  waved 
a Rebel  flag  at  us.  Both  he,  and  the  women  seemed 
to  enjoy  the  demonstration  very  much,  he  grinning  and 
they  laughing  as  he  waved. 

(386)  The  prison  camp  at  Andersonville  was  enclosed 
by  a stockade  about  16  feet  high  of  heavy  timbers  set  on 
end,  and  so  closely  fitted  together  that  you  could 
scarcely  see  between  them.  Inside  of  this  was  the  “dead 
line,”  40  feet  distant  perhaps.  It  was  marked  by  a row 
of  posts  and  stringers  of  timber  extending  along  on  top 
of  them  from  post  to  post.  On  top  of  the  stockade  of 
intervals  there  were  sentry  boxes  placed,  in  which  the 
sentries  or  guards  stood.  Outside  this  stockade,  at  a 
suitable  distance  there  was  another  stockade,  com- 
manding the  first  with  loop  holes  in  it  through  which  to 
fire  at  the  prisoners,  in  case  they  should  try  to  scale  the 
inner  one. 

(387)  The  prisoners  were  formed  into  companies  of 
90  men  each.  Three  of  these  companies  were  formed 
into  a division,  and  the  companies  were  subdivided  in 
squads  of  30  each.  At  first  I believe  it  was  not  the  case 
that  they  were  thus  formed ; but  the  necessity  of  having 
a divide  of  the  scant  rations,  approaching  somewhere 
near  fairness,  demanded  some  sort  of  organization 
among  the  prisoners. 

(388)  It  was  necessary  for  a prisoner  to  know  to  what 
company  and  the  number  of  the  squad  to  which  he 
belonged  in  order  that  he  might  get  his  rations,  or 
even  get  out  to  be  exchanged.  When  a lot  of  prisoners 
was  to  be  sent  out  of  camp  to  be  exchanged  or  sup- 
posedly so,  if  a prisoner  were  not  present  to  answer  his 
name,  someone  else  would  answer  for  him  and  get  out, 
and  the  prisoner  named  would  be  left.  Getting  out  in 
this  way  was  called  “flanking  out." 

(389)  Whenever  a lot  of  prisoners  arrived  they  would 
right  away  be  organized  as  above,  each  division  company 
and  squad  having  a chief  chosen.  When  the  rations 


121 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


were  to  be  divided  the  chief  of  a division  would  divide 
them  into  three  lots,  one  lot  for  each  of  his  companies. 
He  would  then  have  the  chiefs  of  the  latter  turn  their 
backs  to  the  ration ; when  he  would  ask  each.  “Will  you 
take  this  lot?”  and  they  would  choose  without  seeing 
which  lot  was  indicated.  The  companies  and  squads 
divided  in  the  same  way,  the  latter  dividing  among  the 
individuals.  The  squad  chiefs  were  frequently  changed, 
because  they  would  often  inform  a friend  before  hand 
which  ration  to  choose. 

(390)  We  got  raw  rations  (corn  meal)  and  cooked 
week  about.  The  flies  here  were  very  bad,  and  when  the 
Rebel  cooks  would  make  up  a batch  of  dough  and  lay 
it  down,  the  flies  would  gather  thickly  on  it,  then  they 
would  slap  another  batch  on  the  first  to  kill  the  flies.  In 
this  way  our  bread  got  full  of  flies  and  looked  like  bread 
with  currants  or  raisins  in  it.  The  same  wagons  that 
were  used  to  haul  our  dead  were  used  to  haul  our  bread. 

(391)  The  trading  instinct  was  not  altogether  devoid 
of  exercise  here.  Enterprising  soldiers  would  trade  bread 
for  meal  and  get  more  meal  than  made  the  bread.  Some- 
times a soldier  would  be  heard  asking  “Who  will  trade 
a bone  for  meat?”  Those  who  wanted  bones  claimed 
that  by  breaking,  boiling  and  making  soup  of  them 
they  got  more  nourishment  from  them  than  they  could 
get  from  the  meat.  Some  of  our  men  would  even 
make  bargains  with  a sentry,  although,  of  course,  it  was 
not  allowed.  They  would  give  him  money  to  buy  some- 
thing which  he  would  perhaps  do  and  give  it  to  the 
prisoner  furnishing  the  money,  the  next  time  he,  the 
guard  was  on  duty.  Sweet  potatoes  got  in  this  way 
would  sell  for  25  cents  each. 

(392)  There  was  a stream  of  water  which  ran 
through  the  camp,  and  as  a matter  of  course  it  got  very 
dirty,  there  being  so  many  thousands  of  men  in  the 
camp.  The  prisoners  would  therefore  sometimes  reach 
under  the  dead  line  where  the  stream  crossed  it  for 


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water.  One  would  reach  under  one  foot,  another  two, 
someone  else  a little  farther  in  order  that  they  might 
get  less  filthy  water.  Perhaps  the  sentry  on  duty  nearest 
the  stream  would  permit  this  crossing  of  the  dead  line ; 
but  when  another  came  on  duty  there  he  might  fire  upon 
the  prisoner  over  the  dead  line  without  a word  of 
warning.  Many  were  killed  in  that  way. 

(393)  Everybody  knows  something  of  the  many 
deaths  daily  occurring  in  prison  here.  Our  men  used 
to  be  anxious  to  get  to  carry  the  dead  out  of  camp,  in 
order  that  they  might  thus  get  some  fire  wood.  This 
privilege  was  permitted  for  awhile,  but  when  the 
Yankees  began  to  play  the  trick  of  carrying  out  late  in 
the  evening  a comrade  assuming  death,  and  the  Rebels 
would  go  out  in  the  morning  to  bury  him  and  find  him 
gone,  this  privilege  was  stopped,  commandant  Wirtz 
declaring  that  he  would  have  to  get  to  putting  ball-and- 
chains  on  the  d — d dead  Yankees,  as  some  of  them  would 
run  off  after  they  were  dead.  Another  scheme  of  the 
prisoners  in  order  to  draw  the  rations  of  a dead  com- 
rade, and  thus  add  to  the  aggregate,  of  the  scanty  supply 
of  their  squads,  was  to  not  report  his  death.  The  Rebels 
learning  of  this  practice  of  the  prisoners  in  order  to  pre- 
vent it,  resorted  to  frequent  counting  of  them. 

(394)  One  of  the  prisoners  with  whom  I became  ac- 
quainted was  a member  of  the  Ringgold  cavalry,  which 
was  from  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
of  a jovial  disposition  and  was  called  “Happy  Jack.”  He 
used  to  stand  at  the  gate  where  the  dead  were  taken  out, 
count  their  numbers  for  a day — the  great  mortality  seems 
to  have  suggested  this  idea — and  from  the  total  he 
would  calculate  when  his  chances  for  being  taken  out  a 
corpse  would  come. 

(395)  For  a time  there  was  much  stealing  in  camp, 
incited  no  doubt  largely  by  the  dire  necessities  of  the 
men ; but  after  awhile  we  got  police  appointed  to  stop 
the  stealing,  which  they  did,  and  to  attend  to  other  mat- 


123 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 

ters.  For  instance  the  “Hundred  Days  Men"  seemed  to 
not  endure  the  hardships  here  so  well  as  the  old  soldiers. 
They  would  mope  and  set  around  they  died  relatively 
much  faster  than  the  old  soldiers.  When  the  police  would 
see  one  of  those  dispirited  fellows  they  would  fasten  on 
his  back  a wooden  contrivance  that  they  called  a “spread- 
eagle”  to  keep  him  from  sitting  down,  and  they  would 
make  him  move  about  for  his  health. 

(396)  We  were  kept  somewhat  informed  as  to  the 
progress  of  the  war  by  the  arrival  from  time  to  time  of 
some  of  our  men  who  had  been  recently  made  prisoners. 

(397)  There  is  no  tragedy  so  dark  but  it  has  its  re- 
lieving features.  And  one  of  the  comic  ways  the  pris- 
oners had  of  beguiling  the  time  was  this : One  of  them 
would  run  his  hand  into  his  shirt  bosom  and  say  inquir- 
ingly to  another.  “Grey  back  or  no  grey  back?”  As  if 
he  were  playing  “Odd-or-even.”  The  addressed  would 
perhaps  answer  “No  grey  back,”  when  the  propser  of  the 
guess  would  likely  say,  “You  have  missed  it,”  pulling 
out  one. 

(398)  After  being  kept  here  for  some  months,  though 
I did  not  get  so  like  a skeleton  as  some,  my  flesh  became 
in  so  unhealthy  a state  from  having  the  scurvy,  that  when 
I would  press  my  finger  on  it,  the  print  would  rerhain  for 
a long  time  as  if  my  flesh  were  putty.  I got  to  be  one  of 
the  very  sick. 

(399)  At  the  end  of  my  imprisonment  here  of  about 
four  months,  the  sickest  of  the  prisoners,  or  a part  of 
them,  were  taken  out  to  be  exchanged.  I came  very  nearly 
not  getting  out  that  time,  for  my  name  was  close  to  the 
end  of  the  list  of  names  called.  We  were  taken  first  to 
Millin,  Ga.,  and  we  stayed  here  a few  days,  the  sicker  part 
of  us  on  one  side  of  the  camp,  and  the  others  on  the  other 
side.  The  prisoners  would  while  here  sit  around  fires  all 
night,  and  in  the  morning  many  of  them  would  be  found 
dead  where  they  had  sat. 

(400)  Once  while  here  I went  after  some  water.  I was 


124 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


so  weak  that  I had  to  use  a cane.  Coming  back  I fell  and 
spilled  the  water.  I was  too  weak  to  go  for  more,  was 
discouraged,  felt  like  giving  up,  and  do  not  know  what  I 
should  have  done  if  an  artillerymen  of  a Wheeling  bat- 
tery had  not  brought  me  the  water.  He  and  I parted 
promising  to  write  to  each  others  friends  when  we  should 
get  home.  A part  of  us  myself  included,  were  taken  to 
Savannah  where  we  were  exchanged,  changing  our 
clothes  here. 

(401)  We  were  taken  from  here  to  Annapolis  where 
we  again  changed  clothing.  Once  more  we  were  in  God’s 
country ! At  Annapolis  we  were  restristed  for  a few  days 
as  to  the  amount  of  food  we  got.  On  day  at  my  meal  I 
did  not  want  my  meat  and  a comrade  nearby  eyed  it 
eagerly.  At  last  he  inquired,  “Are  you  going  to  eat  that 
meat?”  I told  him  that  I was  not  when  he  snapped  it  up 
quickly. 

(402)  When  I got  to  Annapolis  one  of  the  first  men  I 
saw  was  “Happy  Jack.”  He  was  much  changed  by  his 
hardships  but  I knew  him  by  his  black  curly  hair.  His 
buoyant  spirits  had  brought  him  through. 

(403)  I got  home  after  the  frosts  of  the  fall  of  the  year 
had  come.  I wrote  according  to  promise  to  the  Wheeling 
artilleryman’s  friends.  His  sister  answered  my  letter  that 
he  was  killed  on  board  of  a government  steamer  on  his 
way  home  up  the  Mississippi  by  its  explosion. 

(404)  Thus  ends  my  story  of  prison  life  at  Anderson- 
ville.  No  attempt  is  made  to  give  anything  like  an  ade- 
quate account  of  it — that  could  not  be  done — but  rather 
I have  tried  mainly  after  27  years  have  passed  to  recall 
some  of  the  matters  concerning  it.  that  I do  not  remem- 
ber to  have  read  about  in  any  account  that  I have  seen. 


125 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


(405)  On  the  18th  of  May,  our  regiment  and  the 
Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts  with  two  pieces  of  artillery 
moved  from  Cedar  Creek,  five  or  six  miles  up  the  Valley 
to  Fisher’s  Hill,  and  occupied  it  as  a picket.  Gen.  Sigel 
came  out  to  our  camp  there.  The  next  day  the  two  regi- 
ments fell  back  two  or  three  miles  to  Strasburg  and  occu- 
pied an  old  fort  there  built  by  Gen.  Banks.  We  re- 
ceived today  mail — always  a welcome  receipt  to  the  boys, 
the  first  since  leaving  Winchester,  ten  days  before.  In 
the  evening  the  Thirty-fourth  band  came  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Twelfth  to  give  us  a serenade.  Speeches 
were  made  by  Col.  Curtis,  Adjt.  Caldwell  and  Capt. 
Smiley  of  our  regiment. 

(406)  On  the  2nd,  Gen.  Sigel  was  relieved  from  com- 
mand here  and  Gen.  Hunter  assigned  to  his  place.  Three 
days  later  we  were  reinforced  at  Cedar  Creek  by  three 
more  regiments  of  infantry,  the  Second  Maryland,  the 
Fourth  Virginia  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixtieth  Ohio, 
and  about  this  time,  or  a little  later  we  were  further  rein- 
forced by  the  Fifth  New  York  heavy  artillery. 

(407)  On  the  25th,  we  drew  ten  days’  rations  of  coffee 
and  sugar  and  three  days’  rations  of  hard  bread.  The 
troops  from  Cedar  Creek  came  up,  all  having  had  march- 
ing orders.  We  were  now  about  to  start  on  the  memorable 
campaign  against  Lynchburg.  Hunter  had  issued  his 
famous  order  announcing  to  his  troops  that  they  were 
about  to  enter  on  an  explosion  of  hardships,  in  which 
they  would  have  to  live  off  the  enemy,  and  if  need  be  to 
eat  mule  meat.  The  infantry  were  required  to  carry  each 
man  80  or  100  rounds  of  ammunition.  A little  after  noon 
of  this  day  the  great  march  began  of  what  was  known 
as  Hunter’s  raid.  We  camped  in  the  evening  near  Wood- 
stock.  On  the  way  the  cavalry  burned  a house  and  barn, 


127 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


by  orders  of  Gen.  Hunter,  the  owner  having  been  engaged 
in  bushwhacking. 

(408)  On  the  29th  we  resumed  our  march  passing 
through  Edinburg  and  Mount  Jackson,  crossing  the  Shen- 
andoah here  on  a bridge  newly  built  by  the  Rebels  to 
replace  the  one  burnt  by  Sigel  and  camped  near  New 
Market  and  the  ground  of  the  battle  of  two  weeks  before. 
Some  members  of  the  regiment  looked  over  the  battle 
field.  They  found  that  our  dead  had  been  buried  in  a heap 
where  some  stone  had  been  quarried  out.  The  dead  of 
the  enemy  that  had  not  been  taken  to  their  homes,  had 
been  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  New  Market.  The  enemy 
had  left  31  of  our  wounded  at  this  town  and  vicinity,  who 
it  had  appeared  had  been  quite  well  taken  care  of.  This 
night  our  regiment  went  on  picket  on  the  bridge  over  the 
river  in  our  rear. 

(409)  The  second  day  after  our  arrival  here,  two  com- 
panies of  the  Twelfth  I and  K were  detailed  to  fill  in  with 
stone  the  wodden  abuttments  of  the  bridge,  and  the 
Thirty-  fourth  Massachusetts  went  out  foraging;  thus 
making  a beginning  of  living  off  the  enemy. 

(410)  We  remained  here  until  June  2nd,  when  we 
marched  at  5 o'clock  A.  M.  our  regiment  in  the  rear  of  the 
wagon  train,  arriving  at  Harrisburg  in  the  evening,  our 
advance  having  driven  Imboden  out  of  town.  The  Rebels 
left  some  sixty  of  our  wounded  and  thirty  of  theirs  here, 
brought  up  from  New  Market.  Distance  marched  this 
day  24  miles. 

(411)  On  the  4th,  we  marched  from  here  taking  the 
pike  leading  to  Staunton,  but  Hunter  finding  Imboden 
posted  about  seven  miles  ahead  at  Mount  Crawford 
after  examining  this  position,  turned  to  the  left  taking  a 
side  road  leading  via  Port  Republic.  Seven  miles  from 
Harrisburg  we  came  to  Cross  Keys  where  the  forces  of 
Fremont  and  Jackson  fought  on  June  8th,  1862,  and  a 
little  farther  on  to  where  the  Rebel  Col.  Ashy  wabs  killed. 
At  Port  Republic  on  the  south  branch  of  the  Shenan- 


128 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


doah  our  pioneers  put  a pontoon  bridge  over  the  river 
on  which  we  crossed  and  marched  about  one  mile  on  the 
road  leading  to  Staunton. 

(•412)  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  5th,  we  resumed  our 
march,  but  did  not  go  far  until  our  cavalry  began  skir- 
mishing with  the  Rebels,  driving  them  and  capturing  a 
number  of  prisoners.  It  may  be  well  to  say  here  that  an 
Irish  woman,  who  accompanied  the  First  New  York 
cavalry  was  noticed  helping  tenderly  to  bury  some  of  the 
killed  “my  (her)  boys”  of  that  regiment  that  morning. 

(413)  Seven  miles  from  Port  Republic  we  found  the 
Rebels  in  force,  consisting  of  the  commands  of  Generals 
Vaughn  and  Imboden,  and  a number  of  militia,  number- 
ing in  all,  as  learned  from  prisoners,  between  8,000  and 
9,000  men,  all  under  the  command  of  Gen.  W.  E.  Jones. 
Hunter’s  command  consisted  in  all  of  8,500  men,  the 
infantry  in  two  brigades  the  First  commanded  by  Col. 
Moor,  and  the  Second  by  Col.  Thobum.  The  cavalry 
were  under  command  of  Gen.  Stahl,  the  infantry  under 
Gen.  Sullivan. 

(414)  The  enemy  were  posted  on  either  side  of  the 
pike  their  right  drawn  back  somewhat.  They  had  breast- 
works of  rails  extending  at  least  from  the  pike  to  the 
Middle  river  on  their  left,  several  hundred  yards  distant. 
Hunter  made  disposition  for  battle  at  once,  and  the 
engagement  that  followed  is  known  as  the  Battle  of 
Piedmont.  The  First  Brigade  was  formed  on  the  right 
of  the  pike,  and  the  Second  Brigade  on  the  left.  The 
opposing  forces  faced  each  other  from  either  side  from  the 
edge  of  woods,  with  several  hundred  yards  of  cleared  land 
between. 

(415)  The  battle  began.  It  was  opened  by  the  artillery 
from  each  side.  The  Twelfth  and  the  Thirty-fourth 
Massachusetts  of  Thoburn’s  brigade  were  ordered  for- 
ward through  the  woods,  on  the  left  of  the  pike,  with  a 
view  to  charging  some  of  the  enemy’s  artillery;  when, 
"being  discovered  they  were  vigorously  shelled  by  the 


129 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


enemy.  After  awhile  they  were  brought  back  to  the 
point  where  they  had  entered  the  woods.  While  waiting 
here  for  the  coming  of  the  balance  of  their  brigade  Col- 
onels Thoburn  and  Curtis  and  Adjt.  G.  B.  Caldwell  with 
their  orderlies,  rode  out  into  the  open  ground  forming  a 
group,  for  the  purpose  of  watching  the  effect  of  the 
artillery  fire.  They  were  discovered  by  the  Rebels,  who 
threw  a shell  right  into  their  midst,  which  exploding  took 
off  teh  fore-leg  of  the  Adjutant’s  little  mare.  That  group 
immediately  dispersed. 

(416)  The  other  regiments  having  come  up,  Col  Tho- 
burn moved  his  brigade  forward  in  the  open  ground 
into  a slight  hollow,  within  200  yards  of  the  enemy 
for  the  purpose  of  making  a flank  charge  upon  him. 
While  the  infantry  were  moving  forward  into  this 
position,  the  artillery  on  each  side  opened  up  a heavy 
fire,  and  the  Rebel  band  played  “Dixie,”  while  ours 
played  “Yankee  Doodle.”  Just  before  the  charge  that 
gallant  young  officer  Capt.  Meigs,  of  Hunter’s  staff  rode 
backward  and  forward  along  the  line  encouraging  the 
men  to  do  their  duty  on  this  charge,  and  the  day  would 
be  ours ; that  they  must  not  hesitate  or  falter  but  go 
right  through,  that  we  were  now  a hundred  miles  from 
our  lines,  and  that  defeat  would  be  disastrous.  The 
First  Brigade  had  made  three  charges  right  in  the  face 
of  the  Rebel  front  and  had  been  repulsed.  But  we  will 
let  Adjt.  G.  B.  Caldwell  of  the  Twelfth  tell  the  story 
of  the  battle  in  his  graphic  and  enthusiastic  way.  as  it 
came  red  hot  from  his  pen  a few  days  after  for  the 
Wheeling  Intelligencer ; or  more  particularly  of  the  part 
taken  in  the  engagement  by  the  Twelfth.  The  letter 
was  written  from  the  headquarters  of  the  regiment  at 
Staunton  and  is  as  follows : 

(417)  This  regiment  moved  from  camp  at  Port  Re- 
public at  6 o'clock  A.  M.,  June  5,  1864.  Our  forces 
marching  forward  towards  Staunton  some  four  mile', 
our  cavalry  became  engaged  and  drove  the  enemy  a 


130 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


distance  of  one  and  a half  miles,  suffering  a loss  of 
thirty,  killed  and  wounded.  Capt.  Imboden  a brother 
of  the  general’s  was  taken  here.  The  ball  then  opened 
by  the  loud  mouthed  artillery  bellowing  forth,  both  Union 
and  Rebel  in  hellish  dialogue  of  the  death  answering 
each  other's  thunderous  salutations.  Post  the  crack- 
ling and  roaring  of  Rebel  woolen  factories,  consumed 
bv  flames  kindled  by  the  land  of  Union  retributive  jus- 
tice; past  the  roaring  batteries;  past  Carlin’s  braves 
stripped  to  the  shirt  sewing  out  iron  vengeance  to 
traitors,  the  Second  Brigade,  our  fearless,  cool  and 
sound-judging  Col.  Joe  Thoburn  commanding,  marched 
a mile  to  the  very  front,  forming  the  left  of  our  force. 
The  position  was  150  yards  from  the  Rebel  lines  drawn 
up  behind  a fortification  of  fence  rails,  so  arranged  as  to 
make  perfect  protection  against  musketry.  Here  for  one 
hour  and  a half  in  a woods  at  one  and  one-half  miles 
range,  the  two  twenty  pounder  Parrott  guns  of  the 
enemy  were  served  entirely  against  us  with  all  possible 
rapidity  and  great  precision,  amid  the  tremendous  ex- 
plosion of  shell,  the  profuse  of  rain  of  case  shoe  the 
fall  of  trees  and  limbs,  amid  wounded  and  dying  among 
all  these  combinations  of  horror,  with  not  a gun  fired 
by  us  and  no  excitement  to  cause  a wild  carelessness  of 
danger,  our  line  never  wavered. 

(-118)  The  First  Brigade  (our  right)  being  heavily 
pressed  moved  us  in  retreat  perhaps  half  a mile  unde- 
tected by  the  enemy.  This  manouver  was  admirably 
masked  in  the  woods  like  our  advance  before  in  the 
morning.  A wide  hollow  whose  descending  sides  were 
open  fields  stretched  between  the  First  and  Second 
Brigades.  Across  this  we  must  go.  Our  batteries  open 
their  fiercest  fire,  from  hill  to  hill  leap  the  ponderous  black 
messengers  of  destruction,  the  reverberations  of  half  a 
hundred  guns  on  both  sides,  brought  into  action  by  the 
endeavor  our  batteries  make  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  enemy’s  ordnance,  make  earth  tremble,  and  the  air 


131 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


roar  while  we  run  the  fiery  gauntlet  to  reinforce  our 
right.  With  unbroken  lines  we  march  over  with  steady 
tread. 

(419)  The  Rebels  occupy  a woods  in  whose  edge 
they  have  as  on  their  right,  an  admirably  improptu  fence 
barricaded.  Up  we  go  to  within  100  yards,  lie  down, 
fire  and  draw  the  Rebel  fire.  Men  are  struck  all  along 
the  line.  Most  of  the  enemy’s  rifles  are  empty.  Springing 
to  their  feet  and  cheering  wildly  the  men  rush  forward 
and  over  the  parapet.  Our  color  bearer  plants  that  banner 
of  holy  hopes  and  hallowed  memories  right  where  the 
sheet  of  Rebel  flame  runs  crackling  along,  and  mounting 
up  cries,  “Come  on  boys  here’s  where  I want  you.”  Glor- 
iously forward  we  go  right  into  the  woods  our  flag  the 
first  our  regiment  the  foremost,  the  Rebels  contending  in 
a hand  to  hand  struggle.  Prisoners  stream  to  the  rear 
by  the  hundreds.  Other  regiments  come  to  our  support. 

(420)  The  character  of  the  conflict  is  attested  by 
bayoneted  Rebel  dead.  The  emblematic  rags  of  treason 
their  battle  flags,  a few  minutes  before  planted  in  the 
dirt.  They  flee  in  utter  rout  and  one  wild  shout  of  “Vic- 
tory is  ours!”  runs  along  for  more  than  a mile  through 
infantry,  artillery,  cavalry,  through  stragglers  and  wagon 
trains,  till  the  very  wounded  in  the  hospitals  cheer  again 
and  again.  The  conduct  of  the  men  cannot  be  too  much 
praising.  Often  a soldier  would  press  forward  so  fur- 
iously as  to  be  enclosed  single-handed  among  a mass  of 
Rebels,  surrendering  to  be  recaptured  instantly  by  his 
advancing  comrades.  The  whole  Rebel  force  having  fled, 
we  camped  for  the  night  in  the  woods  among  the  Rebel 
dead,  too  numerous  to  be  buried  till  the  morrow. 

(421)  Thirty  ambulances  constantly  running  with  the 
attendants,  cannot  collect  all  the  wounded  into  hospitals, 
even  in  the  long  hours  of  this  summer  afternoon  and 
evening.  They  have  from  two  to  three  to  our  one  in 
killed  and  wounded,  and  1,000  able  bodied  prisoners,  60 
officers,  four  or  five  colonels.  Brig.  Gen.  Jones,  their  com- 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


manded  killed,  1,700  stand  of  arms,  four  or  five  stand 
of  colors  and  last  and  best  Staunton  grace  our  triumph. 

(422)  And  here  let  me  pause  to  pay  a tribute  to  the 
memory  of  one  of  our  own  country’s  martyrs  in  our 
holy  cause,  our  color  bearer  Corporal  Joseph  S.  Halstead 
A braver  spirit  never  bore  the  banner  of  beauty  and 
glory  forward  amid  the  bursting  shells  and  the  leaden 
rain  of  death.  With  comrades  falling  all  around  him 
he  went  ahead  of  the  bravest,  ahead  of  his  brigade.  The 
head  and  front  of  that  terrific  charge  into  the  jaws  of 
death,  he  rushed  forward  and  planted  our  flag  on  the 
very  parapet  sheeted  with  flames  from  the  enemy’s  rifles. 
Then  over  and  forward  again  goes  our  banner  into  the 
hand  to  hand  conflict  in  which  that  glorious  day’s  fate 
was  decided.  He  falls  at  last,  but  if  there  be  consolation 
in  such  an  hour,  and  to  a Christian  and  one  so  wholly 
a soldier  as  he,  he  has  it  to  the  full  a knowledge  of  his 
country’s  glory  and  his  own.  In  the  moment  of  victory 
with  a broken  and  dispirited  enemy  flying  before  us  with 
the  shouts  of  comrades  drunk  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
hour  rendering  the  very  sky,  with  the  valor  of  our  arms 
attested  by  the  piles  of  grey-clothed  dead  and  hurt 
around  him  with  the  deep  heart-felt  admiration  of  all, 
attracted  by  his  surpassing  daring,  with  his  comrades 
standing  around  him  in  speechless  and  tearful  sympathy, 
with  prisoners  streaming  or  crowding  to  the  rear,  col- 
onels and  subordinates  in  traitor  regalia,  their  perjured 
leader  stricken  dead  by  loyal  vengeance,  he  fell  at  the 
very  acme  of  our  triumph,  battling  the  flag  which  he  had 
borne  so  royally  to  glory  and  to  victory,  with  blood  as 
noble  as  ever  coursed  through  patriot  veins.  Poor 
Halstead  among  the  brave  the  choicest  spirit  of  them 
all,  long  will  his  memory  be  cherished  and  his  valor  in 
that  hour  of  carnage  and  triumph  be  the  theme  of  the 
bivonac  talks  of  his  comrades. 

(423)  Col.  Curtis  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  the 
sword  of  a Virginia  regiment's  colonel,  whose  surrender 


133 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


he  demanded.  One  of  our  Marshall  county  boys  had  the 
honor  of  bringing  a Rebel  colonel  “to  time.”  He,  the 
Marshall  county  boy  is  a young  fellow  of  about  17. 
Another  from  Hancock  county,  I.  N.  Cullen,  (Comp.) 
had  a grey  header  Confed  bring  a musket  to  his  breast 
with  an  order  to  surrender.  He  threw  the  musket  aside 
and  twisted  it  out  of  the  old  fellow’s  hands,  then  kicking 
him  over  the  parapet  and  out  of  the  woods  saying,  “Old 
man  you're  too  old  for  me  to  bayonet.”  Another  Ohio 
county  boy  mounted  the  parapet  in  the  charge  and  look- 
ing down  on  the  Rebs,  says  “Lookout  Johnnys  we’re 
coming  down  on  you  like  a thousand  of  brick"  That 
was  funny  at  such  a time — It  was  “in  the  cool.” 

(424)  In  the  morning  before  the  fight,  Gen.  Jones 
drew  his  men  up  and  told  them  that  we  were  going  to 
avenge  Fort  Pillow,  that  to  surrender  would  be  to  die; 
and  such  stuff  for  an  hour.  If  anything  was  wanting 
1c  prove  the  superior  humanity  of  the  Union  soldiers 
or  the  barbarism  induced  in  the  South  by  slavery  here  it 
might  have  been  found.  First  Sergeant  Hart  Marks, 
of  Company  Iv,  accepted  the  surrender  of  a Rebel  lieu- 
tenant and  passed  on  to  the  front.  The  Rebel  drew  a 
revolver  from  under  his  coat  and  shot  him,  fortunately 
slightly,  in  the  back,  yet  our  boys  spared  him.  I know 
of  more  such  cases,  several.  Marks  shortly  afterwards 
received  two  wounds,  one  in  side,  and  one  in  the  shoulder, 
the  last  having  passed  through  a twisted  blanket,  while 
charging  the  woods,  the  Rebels  being  behind  the  trees. 
Another  of  our  regiment,  the  eccentric  Barney  Wyles, 
pressed  ahead  too  far  and  was  surrounded ; he  sur- 
rendered but  his  captor  shot  at  him  after  surrender,  with 
a revolver,  cutting  his  clothes.  Our  men  rushed  on  him, 
wrested  the  revolver  from  him,  and  then  spared  him.  All 
evening  could  you  see  Union  soldiers  feeding  wounded 
Rebels,  and  food  was  scarce  with  us  then,  having  to  come 
all  in  the  shape  of  forage.  In  every  regiment  a number 


134 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


cf  instances  can  be  given  of  such  treachery  as  above. 
Could  any  contrast  be  greater? 

(425)  The  day  after  the  fight  we  came  to  this  place. 
I wish  that  some  of  our  copperheads,  who  have  “nigger 
on  the  brain”  could  come  here.  You  have  heard  that 
southern  people  are  darkened  by  their  sun.  One  can 
hardly  tell  which  are  the  whites — not  that  the  whites  are 
so  black,  but  that  the  blacks  are  so  white.  Miscegnation 
is  played  out.  At  this  place  1,700  rifles  were  captured 
and  therewith  a government  armory ; cotton  factories, 
commissary  stores,  railroad  buildings  and  bridges  were 
burnt.  A brass  field  piece  was  found  here  all  right.  Two 
100  pound  guns  were  rendered  useless,  by  thetrunions’ 
being  broken  off.  But  I cannot  enumerate  one-half  the 
damage,  and  will  leave  that  to  more  general  corre- 
spondents. 

(426)  I append  a list  of  killed  and  wounded  in  this 
regiment.  In  addition  to  this  list  David  Severe,  Com- 
pany G,  was  killed.  I have  just  heard  on  picket  this 
morning,  that  Corporal  W.  L.  Herbert  and  Frank  Metz 
were  captured,  both  of  the  same  company  as  Severe. 

(427)  Returns  of  killed  and  wounded  and  missing  of 
the  Twelfth  regiment.  West  Virginia  Volunteer  Infan- 
try in  the  battle  of  Piedmont,  Virginia,  on  the  5th  of 
June,  1864. 

COMPANY  A. 

KILLED — First  Sergeant  Wm.  H.  Leach,  Privates 
Lawis  Manning,  Geo.  L.  Jones  and  Reuben  G.  Boyd. 

WOUNDED — Capt.  Hagar  Tomlinson,  left  leg 
flesh  wound;  Sergeant  John  G.  Jones,  fourth  finger,  left 
hand  off;  Corporal  George  Orum,  head  slightly;  Private 
Thos.  M.  Turner,  left  thigh,  severely ; Private  Wm.  F. 
Magers,  right  hand,  slightly. 

COMPANY  B. 

WOUNDED — James  B.  Manning,  left  thigh,  flesh 
wound. 


135 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


COMPANY  C. 

WOUNDED — Corporal  Benjamin  Chambers,  left 
arm,  flesh  wound ; Corporal  Wilson  Chambers,  upper  part 
left  breast,  not  dangerous;  Wm.  H.  Ambercrombie,  shot 
through  both  cheeks,  severely;  Francis  M.  Gray,  left  thigh 
broken,  dangerously;  John  Dacon,  left  breast,  danger- 
ously; Geo.  Barnes,  right  arm,  flesh  wound;  Isaac  N. 
Fisher,  second  finger  right  hand ; Harmon  Crow,  right 
hand,  slight. 

COMPANY  D. 

KILLED — Sergeant  A.  R.  Gilmore,  Corporal  Joseph 
S.  Halstead,  color  bearer ; Pri  :vates,  C.  W.  Hamilton 
and  Robert  J.  Anderson. 

WOUNDED — Corporal  Daniel  Maxwell,  top  of 
head,  severely,  but  not  dangerously;  Corporal  E.  M. 
Adams,  left  shoulder  slightly;  Jno.  W.  Murray,  right 
arm,  severely. 

COMPANY  E. 

KILLED — Corporal  Jno.  H.  Wildham. 

WOUNDED — Privates  Jno.  H.  Bennett,  right  leg, 
severely;  and  James  Bachus,  shot  through  cheeks,  dan- 
gerously. 

COMPANY  F. 

WOUNDED — Privates  Henry  Fortney,  left  leg, 
severely;  Robert  Heiskill,  right  fore  finger;  Ezra  Wal- 
lace, left  thigh,  severely;  Abia  Warmsley,  left  fore  arm, 
severely;  A.  M.  Shroyer,  left  fore  arm  severely  and 
Calvin  L.  Flemming,  right  thigh,  slightly. 

COMPANY  G. 

KILLED — Private  Wm.  H.  Garrittson. 

WOUNDED — Private  Alphens  Wyer,  abdomen 
dangerously. 

COMPANY  H. 

KILLED — Corporal  Ed.  O.  Haymond. 


136 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


WOUNDED — Privates  Archer  Wood,  left  elbow, 
severely,  and  left  side  slightly;  Jacob  Noes,  right  ankle, 
severely;  Adam  Price,  shoulder,  seriously;  James  W. 
Thomas,  left,  thigh,  slightly;  Frank  McVicker,  left  side 
head,  slightly;  Jno.  R.  Wolfe,  side  head,  slightly. 

MISSING— Henry  Bichur. 

COMPANY  I. 

KILLED — Joseph  R.  Lyons,  Wm.  Beal,  Andrew 
Daugherty,  Joseph  B.  Durbin. 

WOUNDED — Wm.  H.  Moore,  right  side,  severely ; 
Wm.  B.  Campbell,  left  shoulder,  severely;  Jno.  R.  Baxter, 
right  breast,  slightly;  S.  H.  Minor,  left  thigh,  flesh 
wound. 

COMPANY  K. 

KILLED— A.  W.  White. 

WOUNDED — First  Sergeant  T.  H.  Marks,  flesh 
wound  in  side  and  shoulder,  slight;  Joseph  Macks,  left 
hand,  not  dangerous;  Wm.  H.  Holbintter,  right  side, 
(shell)  mortally,  died;  Alex.  McVoneha,  left  arm  and 
wrist,  flesh  wound. 

MISSING — Corporal  J.  E.  Fleming. 

Total — Eighteen,  killed;  41,  wounded,  and  two 
missing. 

(428)  In  addition  to  the  foregoing  letter  from  Adju- 
tant Caldwell,  a few  further  details  and  observations 
regarding  the  battle  may  not  be  unworthy  of  mention. 
A member  of  Company  D,  in  a manuscript  history  of  the 
company  says  that  “early  on  the  morning  of  June  5th,  we 
were  ordered  into  line  before  some  of  the  boys  break- 
fasted. After  marching  a short  distance,  we  were  halted, 
brought  to  a front  and  ordered  to  load  at  will.  We  were 
then  informed  by  Col.  Curtis  that  the  enemy  was  near  and 
that  every  man  was  expected  to  do  his  whole  duty.  The 
file-closers  were  ordered  to  take  their  positions  in  the  rear 
of  their  companies.  In  looking  along  the  line  a determined 


137 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


expression  on  the  countenances  of  both  men  and  officers 
was  notable,  which  boded  no  good  to  the  enemy;  and 
Adjt.  Caldwell  remarked,  “The  boys  are  full  of  fight 
today.” 

(429)  This  fighting  spirit  manifested  by  the  regiment 
is  perhaps  explainable  in  part  by  the  belief  confirmed  by 
information  got  from  the  citizens  in  coming  up  the  Valley 
that  we  came  near  whipping  in  the  New  Market  battle, 
and  the  consequent  resolution,  having  come  so  near  it 
then,  to  whip  altogether  this  battle.  And  there  the  fact 
that  our  cavalry  were  driving  the  enemys  cavalry  this 
morning,  doubtless  had  something  to  do  in  working  up 
the  fighting  mood  of  the  men. 

(430)  Col.  Curtis  having  been  mounted  all  day  on  a 
very  fine  horse  wanted  to  try  him  in  battle  and  see  if 
he  would  be  manageable  under  fire.  When  the  order  was 
given  to  charge  he  mounted  him  and  looking  over  into 
the  Rebel  works  he  discovered  that  something  had 
occurred  to  raise  great  excitement  among  the  enemy.  He 
repeated  the  command  just  given  by  Col.  Thoburn  to 
charge  and  shouted  “Go  in  boys  they’re  whipped."  The 
position  of  the  brigade,  from  which  the  charge  was  made 
was  such  that  in  making  it  the  Twelfth  would  strike  the 
right  flank  of  the  Rebel  breast  works  extending  from 
the  pike  to  the  river,  at  about  the  center  of  the  regiment, 
compelling  one-half  of  the  men  to  climb  over  the  breast 
works.  But  they  went  on  cheering  and  shouting  as  they 
went,  lighting  among  the  Rebels  when  a hand  to  hand 
struggle  for  victory  ensued  for  a few  minutes  when  the 
Rebel  line  gave  way,  falling  back  toward  the  river,  which 
was  fordable  at  that  point.  The  Twelfth  followed  the 
Johnnys  briskley,  capturing  prisoners  and  killing  those 
who  refused  to  surrender. 

(431)  About  midway  between  the  pike  and  the  river, 
the  Forty-fifth  Virgina  infantry  under  command  of  Col. 
Brown  held  its  position  at  the  breast  works  until  the 


138 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


Twelfth  attacked  it.  Col.  Brown  was  a graduate  of 
West  Point;  but  after  being  educated  by  the  government 
was  now  trying  to  destroy  it.  A private  by  the  name  of 
Shinn,  of  Harrison  county,  it  appears,  ordered  him  to 
surrender ; which  he  refused  to  do,  because  the  order 
came  from  a private,  but  the  private  had  the  drop  on 
him  and  was  about  to  shoot  him  when  he,  Brown, 
observed  Col.  Curtis  mounted  on  his  horse  which  he  had 
jumped  over  the  breast  works,  moving  along  the  line 
with  his  regiment.  Brown  threw  up  his  hands  giving 
Curtis  a sign  which  the  latter  understood,  exclaiming  “I 
will  surrender  to  you.”  The  boys  were  ordered  to  take 
him  to  the  rear  with  the  other  prisoners,”  and  on  his 
way  back  he  took  a very  fine  revolver  from  his  belt  and 
handing  it  to  the  boy  said,  “Give  this  to  your  Colonel 
with  my  compliments.”  The  boy  was  honest  and  gave 
it  to  him  and  it  was  still  in  the  possession  of  Col.  Curtis 
at  the  time  of  his  death. 

(432)  After  the  surrender  of  Col.  Brown  and  his  regi- 
ment the  rout  became  general.  Col.  Halpine,  Hunter’s 
chief  of  staff  is  further  authority  for  saying  that  the  forces 
engaged  in  this  battle  were  about  equal,  counting  of  the 
Rebels  about  1,500  militia.  Halpine  says : 

(433)  “The  fight  though  not  large  in  numbers  was 
singularly  obstinate  and  fluctuating;  the  enemy  beating 
back  repeated  charges  of  infantry  and  cavalry  under 
Generals  Sullivan  and  Stahl,  and  it  was  quite  late  in  the 
afternoon  after  a long  and  sweltering  day  of  battle,  when 
the  movement  of  the  gallant  Col.  Thoburn’s  division 
across  the  narrow  valley  and  its  charge  up  the  hill  upon 
the  enemy’s  right  flank  decided  the  contest  in  our  favor. 
But  for  the  coming  on  of  night  and  the  broken  heavily 
timbered  nature  of  the  country,  the  famous  feat  of 
“bagging”  that  army — so  popular  with  congressional 
orators  and  enthusiastic  editors — might  have  been  easily 
accomplished ; for  a worse  whipped  or  more  utterly 


139 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


demoralized  crowd  of  beaten  men  never  fled  from  any 
field.” 

(434)  Gen.  Jones,  the  commander  of  the  Rebel  force, 
was  shot  in  the  head  and  fell  dead  upon  the  field.  This 
was  what  caused  the  apparent  excitement  among  the 
Rebels,  noticed  by  Col.  Curtis,  as  before  mentioned.  The 
Rebel  leader  was  shot  just  as  he  was  getting  his  troops 
ready  for  a charge.  He  fell  in  front  of  the  Twelfth,  and 
it  was  supposed  that  some  member  of  it  fired  the  fatal 
shot.  Among  the  prisoners  captured  was  Capt.  Boyd 
Faulkner,  of  Gen.  Jones’  staff.  The  demoralized  and 
routed  Rebels  many  of  whom  ran  into  and  across  the 
river,  making  their  escape  in  that  way,  reported  on  their 
retreat,  so  we  learned  the  next  day,  that  the  Yankees 
before  the  battle  had  been  dosed  and  mad  drunk  with 
whisky  and  gun  powder,  so  that  they  fought  recklessly 
and  charged  upon  their  works  regardless  of  the 
slaughter  made  in  their  ranks. 

(435)  A comrade  of  Sergt.  Halstead’s  company 
records  a striking  and  touching  incident  concerning  him, 
showing  his  devotion  to  patriotic  duty.  He  was  mortally 
wounded  in  the  battle,  falling  upon  the  flag  and  staining 
it  with  his  blood  just  after  he  had  crossed  the  enemy’s 
breast  works.  He  was  carried  off  the  field  of  battle  and 
cared  for  by  his  comrades.  He  lived  until  about  8 o’clock 
that  night.  Just  before  he  died  he  sent  for  Col.  Curtis 
to  come  and  see  him.  The  Colonel  came  immediately  and 
kneeling  by  his  side  and  taking  his  hand,  said,  “Sergeant, 
you  are  badly  wounded.”  “Yes,”  Halstead  replied,  “I 
feel  that  I have  but  a few  minutes  to  live,  but  before  I 
die  I desire  to  know  if  I have  done  my  duty  as  a soldier.” 
The  Colonel  ansewred,  “Yes.  you  have  gallantly  sacrificed 
your  life  for  your  country;  you  could  do  no  more.”  Hal- 
stead said,  “Then  I am  ready  to  go,”  and  died  soon 
afterward. 

(436)  This  battle  of  Piedmont  was  the  third  engage- 


140 


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ment  for  the  Twelfth  and  its  first  victory.  It  having  been 
our  fortune  up  to  this  time  to  fight  our  battles  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley,  in  which  the  Union  arms  had  hitherto 
met  with  an  almost  uniform  series  of  disasters,  and 
which  had  indeed  become  a valley  of  humiliation  to  us 
owing  to  the  fact  that  we  had  generally  out  numbered, 
the  Twelfth  had  hitherto  met  with  defeat.  This  time  the 
day  was  ours,  and  we  got  to  view  the  battle  field  instead 
of  having  to  yield  that  privilege  to  the  Johnnys;  and 
that  the  regiment  behaved  so  gallantly  as  it  did  in  this 
battle  is  all  the  more  creditable  to  it  that  it  did  so  in 
spite  of  the  demoralizing  tendencies  of  previous  defeats. 

(437)  Gen.  Hunter  was  a large  dark  visaged  stern 
man  of  severe  aspect ; a man  not  at  all  of  a sympathetic 
genial  disposition,  who  was  calculated  to  win  the  per- 
sonal attachment  of  men  generally.  He  was  not  only 
severe  in  appearance  but  he  was  really  so.  On  one 
occasion  on  the  march  to  Lynchburg,  a man  was  noticed 
as  the  army  passed  by,  tied  up  to  a tree  by  order  of 
Gen.  Hunter  it  was  said.  It  is  not  remembered  that 
any  other  general  under  whom  the  Twelfth  served  ever 
punished  a soldier  in  like  manner,  by  direct  personal 
order.  Notwithstanding  Hunter’s  lack  of  popular  qual- 
ities, now  that  he  had  won  a victory,  he  was  at  this  time 
popular  with  the  boys ; and  they  were  disposed  to  cheer 
him  when  he  made  his  appearance  before  them.  They 
were  thus  merely  paying  a tribute  to  success. 

(438)  That  night  after  the  battle,  we  slept  in  the 
woods  held  by  the  Rebels  during  the  battle,  and  owing  to 
the  great  reaction  of  feeling  after  the  fight — the  letting 
down  of  the  high  tension  of  excitement  kept  up  all  the 
long  day  of  strength,  the  boys  generally  slept  well,  though 
in  some  instances  the  moaning  of  an  enemy  wounded 
beyond  relief  could  be  heard  nearby.  In  the  morning 
we  marched  for  Staunton  some  11  miles  distant,  which 
place  we  reached  that  day  after  an  easy  day’s  march. 


141 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


After  having  gone  about  four  miles  on  the  way  toward 
Staunton,  we  met  an  aid  who  informed  us  that  the  enemy 
had  fled  from  that  place,  and  that  we  now  had  communi- 
cation with  Generals  Crook  and  Averell,  who  had  moved 
from  the  Kanawha  Valley,  when  cheer  after  cheer  went 
up  all  along  the  line  over  the  announcement. 

(439)  On  nearing  Staunton  we  passed  one  or  more 
houses  where  the  occupants  had  hung  in  front  of  their 
homes  white  cloths  as  indicative  of  submission  or  with 
a view  to  securing  protection.  When  we  got  into  the 
town  the  women  seemed  dreadfully  frightened ; some  of 
them  were  in  the  streets  wringing  their  hands  and  crying 
as  if  they  were  afraid  the  Yankees  might  eat  them  alive. 
Their  conduct  was  in  strong  contrast  with  that  of  the 
women  of  Winchester  to  whom  the  Yankee  was  no  new 
sight ; they  being  not  in  the  least  afraid  of  him,  having 
learned  that  he  was  no  dread  monster.  But  rather  they 
were,  in  some  cases,  haughty,  defiant  and  saucy.  If  we 
had  stayed  awhile  in  Staunton  these  women  would  soon 
have  got  over  their  dreadful  alarm,  finding  that  they  were 
as  safe  as  with  their  own. 

(440)  We  were  the  first  Union  soldiers  that  had  ever 
set  foot  in  Staunton  as  victors.  This  early  summer  of 
1864  was  marking  a distinct  advance  or  progress  of  the 
Union  cause.  Grant  was  planting  himself  firmly  before 
Petersburg  never  to  yield  his  ground.  Sherman  was 
moving  on  toward  Atlanta  and  before  long  would  capture 
that  important  point,  we  of  Hunters  command  had 
pushed  farther  up  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  than  any 
Union  army  had  ever  done  before  and  we  were  soon  to 
menace.  Lynchburg,  an  almost  vital  point  to  the  enemy, 
and  a place  that  had  never  been  seriously  threatened 
before;  thus  causing  the  enemy  to  detach  heavily  from 
his  force  at  Richmond  to  send  troops  into  the  Valley  and 
to  thereby  prepare  the  way  for  Sheridan  to  gain,  in  the 
fall  of  the  year,  his  important  and  telling  victories,  and 
thus  make  his  great  military  reputation. 


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WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


(4414)  After  arriving  at  Staunton  in  the  evening  the 
Twelfth  went  into  camp  on  a hill  east  of  the  town.  That 
night  the  prisoners  captured  at  Piedmont  were  confined 
in  the  stockade  which  the  Rebels  had  used  for  the  con- 
fining of  our  men.  The  next  day,  the  7th,  our  regiment 
was  sent  on  the  march  for  what  reason  it  is  not  known 
on  the  road  leading  to  Beverly,  W.  Va.  When  about  six 
miles  on  the  way  while  we  were  stopping  for  a rest, 
orders  came  to  us  to  return  and  we  marched  back  to 
Staunton.  While  remaining  at  this  place,  the  large  num- 
ber of  prisoners  we  held,  and  our  surplus  wagons,  with 
some  of  our  not  too  severely  wounded  in  them,  were  sent 
in  charge  of  Major  Samuel  Adams,  a quartermaster,  from 
here  to  Webster  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad 
guarded  by  the  Twenty-eighth  Ohio  infantry,  whose  time 
had  expired. 

(442)  On  the  morning  of  the  9th,  Col.  Curtis  received 
orders  from  Gen.  Hunter  to  proceed  with  his  regiment 
A>  a certain  point  on  the  railroad  leading  to  Richmond 
to  burn  the  brides,  tear  up  the  track,  and  make  the  road 
as  difficult  to  repair  as  possible.  In  performing  this  work, 
the  ties  and  rails  were  so  piled  up  that  when  the  ties 
were  set  on  fire,  the  rails  would  be  so  bent  it  would 
require  much  labor  to  make  them  serviceable  again.  The 
men  engaged  heartily  in  this  work. 

(443)  On  the  morning  of  the  10th  we  set  out  on  the 
march  to  Lexington  our  division  taking  one  road  and 
Crook’s  division,  it  having  joined  us  two  days  before, 

" another  road  to  the  right  of  ours.  At  Staunton  large 
quantities  of  the  enemy’s  tobacco  had  been  by  authority 
thrown  into  the  streets.  Nearly  every  man  had  picked 
up  more  than  he  could  conveniently  carry  and  for  a day 
the  army  might  have  been  tracked  by  the  tobacco  plugs 
strewn  along  the  road.  When  seven  miles  on  the  road 
toward  Lexington  a courier  came  to  us  bearing  the  news 
that  a large  wagon  train  was  coming  with  coffee  and 


143 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


sugar  for  us,  and  that  Grant  had  driven  Lee  inside  of  his 
intrenchments  around  Richmond.  The  boys,  of  course, 
cheered  this  news  heartily.  We  camped  this  night  at  a 
place  called  Midway,  18  miles  from  Staunton,  and  the 
same  distance  from  Lexington  which  place  is  situated  on 
the  north  branch  of  the  James  river,  and  is  the  seat  of 
the  Virginia  Military  Institute.  When  near  this  latter 
town  we  were  rejoined  by  Crook’s  force.  Before  we 
reached  the  town  the  Rebels  burned  the  bridge  leading 
across  the  river  to  it.  After  some  skirmishing  and  a 
few  shells  thrown  from  our  side  the  Johnnys  who  were 
still  in  the  town  left.  But  we  did  not  enter  the  town 
this  day. 

(444)  The  next  morning  we  crossed  over  the  river  on 
a bridge  constructed  by  the  Pioneer  corps  and  camped 
near  the  town.  The  Institute,  where  about  two  hundred 
cadets  were  attending  at  the  time,  Governor  Letcher’s 
house  and  some  houses  belonging  to  Rebel  officers  were 
burnd  at  this  place  by  order  of  Gen.  Hunter.  There 
were  also  some  iron  works  burned  here.  Stonewall  Jack- 
son’s grave  is  here  at  the  head  of  which  there  was  a pole, 
bearing  a flag  when  we  entered  the  town ; but  the  flag  and 
pole  somehow  soon  thereafter  disappeared.  We  remained 
at  Lexington  two  days  and  during  this  time  the  supply 
train  referred  to  with  rations  and  quartermaster’s  stores 
came  up. 

(445)  At  5 o’clock  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  we 
marched  taking  the  road  leading  to  Buchanan  in  Botet- 
ourt county  on  the  south  branch  of  the  James  river.  We 
passed  within  two  and  a half  miles  of  the  Natural  Bridge 
over  Cedar  Creek  and  arrived  at  Buchanan  a little  after 
dark.  The  Rebels  had  burned  the  bridge  over  the  river 
before  leaving,  but  the  pioneers  soon  made  another  in  its 
stead,  on  which  we  crossed.  According  to  an  account 
by  W.  W.  Foreman,  of  Company  D,  a spy,  was  taken 
this  day,  and  after  a court  martial  was  shot  the  follow- 
ing morning. 


144 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


(446)  This  past  day  we  had  had  a long  hard  marched, 
considering  the  heat  of  the  weather.  Pertinent  to  this 
matter  of  hard  marching  this  ancedote  which  should 
have  been  told  sooner,  is  given.  It  wiH  be  remembered 
that  when  Hunter  set  out  on  this  expedition  the  men 
were  required  to  carry  from  SO  to  100  rounds  of  ammu- 
nition per  man.  Grant  in  assuming  command  of  the 
armies  of  the  United  States  ordered  the  heavy  artillery- 
men to  be  armed  as  infantry  and  sent  into  the  field.  Some 
of  these  soldiers  were  sent  to  Hunter.  They  were  given 
to  straggling  considerably,  not  being  used  marching, 
and  besides  many  of  them  wore  tightly  fitting  boots,  which 
they  had  worn  while  in  the  fortifications,  making  the 
matter  worse.  One  day  one  of  these  soldiers  who  was 
straggling  behind,  as  we  marched  somewhere,  in  the 
Valley,  was  accosted  by  an  officer,  doubtless  with  the 
intent  to  reprimand  him,  and  asked  to  what  command  he 
belonged.  The  soldier  in  allusion  to  the  heavy  amount 
of  ammunition  he  was  carrying,  answered  with  a big 
oath,  “I  belong  to  Gen.  Hunter’s  ammunition  train.” 

(447)  The  next  day,  the  15th,  we  resumed  our  march; 
but  Crook’s  division  taking  the  advance  we  did  not  get 
started  till  late  in  the  day  and  marched  only  11  miles  this 
day,  camping  for  the  night  at  the  Peaks  of  Otter.  Our 
route  today  led  over  the  Blue  Ridge  on  which  we  saw  a 
dead  man  in  citizen’s  dress  by  the  roadside,  who  had  been 
shot  by  our  men.  It  appeared  that  he  with  others  had 
been  felling  trees  across  the  road  in  front  of  us,  and  had 
been  killed  in  the  act. 

(448)  Early  the  next  morning  we  were  en  route,  and 
a march  of  nine  miles  brought  us  to  Liberty,  a pretty 
little  town  on  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  railroad.  A 
great  many  wounded  Rebels  from  Lees  army  were  in  the 
hospital  here.  After  doing  considerable  damage  to  the 
railroad,  and  burning  the  depot  here,  we  passed  on  five 
miles  farther,  on  the  road  toward  Lynchburg  and  camped. 


145 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


The  next  day  at  an  early  hour  we  pushed  on  toward 
this  city.  We  were  now  in  an  apparently  fine  country. 
It  was  this  day  or  the  afternoon  of  the  day  before,  that 
a fine  residence  near  the  road  was  burned  by  order  of 
Gen.  Hunter,  it  appearing  that  our  troops  had  been  fired 
on  from  it.  We  passed  through  the  town  of  New  Lon- 
don. About  4 o’clock  P.  M.,  when  some  three  miles 
from  Lynchburg,  Gen.  Crook  whose  division  was  in 
advance,  engaged  the  enemy  at  an  outpost  driving  him 
from  his  intrenchments  there  to  his  inner  line  of  defense 
and  captured  about  70  prisoners  and  two  or  three  pieces 
of  artillery.  We  camped  upon  the  field. 

(449)  The  next  morning,  the  18th,  we  moved  for- 
ward, our  skirmishers  driving  the  Rebel  skirmishers,  until 
we  could  see  the  enemy’s  fortifications  within  two  miles 
of  the  city.  Our  division,  or  at  least  the  part  of  it  to 
which  the  Twelfth  belonged,  was  on  or  across  the  Bed- 
ford road.  There  was  no  considerable  fighting  except 
skirmishing  and  shelling  until  about  2 P.  M.,  when  heavy 
firing  was  heard  on  our  left.  Hunter  having  attacked 
there  in  force.  There  was  no  fighting  on  our  part  of  the 
line  just  at  this  time,  but  soon  thereafter,  the  Rebels 
being  observed  to  be  getting  ready  to  sally  out  of  the 
works  to  charge  us  on  the  Bedford  road,  we  here,  at  a 
brigade  were  massed  on  the  left  of  the  road  in  five  close 
lines  in  the  adge  of  some  woods,  with  clean  open  ground 
between  us  and  the  Rebel  works,  some  500  yards  distant. 
Soon  the  Rebels  were  ready  and  charged  us ; and  at  the 
same  time  they  began  shelling  us.  The  most  of  the  shells, 
however,  crashed  through  the  tree  tops  above  our  heads 
doing  little  harm.  We  opened  fire  on  the  charging 
column  before  it  had  come  far  and  kept  up  a steady  and 
continuous  roaring  of  musketry  until  the  Rebels  broke 
and  “skedadled”  back  to  the  works,  which  they  did  before 
they  got  half  way  to  our  lines.  We  repulsed  them  easily. 
Some  soldiers,  who  were  in  the  rear  during  this  charge 


146 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


said  afterward  that  they  had  never  before  heard  so  heavy 
mustketry  and  that  they  thought  from  the  tremendous 
roar  kept  up  that  we  must  be  getting  slaughtered.  Hunter 
failed  to  capture  any  of  the  enemy’s  works  this  day ; but 
the  Rebels  thought  best  to  keep  on  the  defensive.  Our 
loss  was  about  200  hundred  and  it  was  thought  the 
enemy’s  was  heavy. 

(450)  When  the  Rebels  charged  us  on  the  Bedford 
road  a number  of  men  in  the  front  line  about  opposite 
the  center  of  the  Twelfth,  broke  making  quite  a gap  a 
dozen  or  so  of  them  trying  to  get  behind  one  tree.  A 
number  of  the  Twelfth  boys  ran  forward  to  the  gap  and 
fired  on  the  advancing  Rebels.  And  here  at  this  point  it 
is  desired  to  pay  a tribute  to  an  enlisted  man,  Sergt. 
Thomas  J.  Ormsby,  of  Company  C.  The  soldier  in  the 
ranks  has  not  been  without  praise  but  it  is  doubtful  if 
he  has  had  his  full  due  relatively  with  the  officers.  Ormsby 
ran  the  gap  going  perhaps  30  feet  in  advance  of  the  front 
line  trusting  that  our  own  men  would  not  shoot  him.  He 
was  the  one  man,  it  is  believed,  who  thus  went  forward 
of  the  2,000  or  more  massed  men.  He  wanted  to  watch 
the  progress  and  outcome  of  the  fight.  When  the  Johnnys 
began  to  break  he  turned  toward  our  ranks  and  said 
laughing,  “They’re  running  boys.” 

(451)  This  same  sergeant  when  a battle  seemed  emmi- 

nent  was  in  the  habit  of  talking  to  the  men  of  his  com- 
pany in  an  encouraging  way,  telling  them  to  not  fear,  that 
we  would  whip  them  and  all  that.  He  was  no  bully  nor 
broggart,  but  simply  wanted  to  inspire  the  men  with  his 
own  confidence.  A soldier  in  another  company  called  this 
peculiar  habit  of  Sergt.  Ormsby  “preaching.”  One  day 
when  a fight  was  threatened  this  soldier  called  the  atten- 
tion of  a comrade  to  the  sergeant’s  conduct  saying,  “Did 
you  ever  notice  Ormsby  when  there  is  likely  to  be  a fight  ? 
Listen  to  him  preaching  to  Company  C. — He’s  the 
d dst  man  ever  I saw.”  Sergt.  Ormsby  seemed 


147 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


almost  devoid  of  fear.  The  soldier  who  drew  attention 
to  the  sergeant,  was  afterward  killed  in  the  Valley  of 
Virginia  under  Sheridan. 

(452)  After  the  repulse  of  the  Rebel  charge  we  were 
moved  from  the  woods  and  reformed  into  line.  There 
was  no  more  fighting  except  skirmishing.  The  spirit  of 
the  men  was  still  good,  as  was  evidenced  by  the  way 
they  were  disposed  to  expose  themselves  to  the  Rebel  fire. 
Hunter,  however,  was  just  one  day  too  late  attacking 
Lynchburg,  for  the  very  day  he  arrived  before  the  city, 
Early’s  corps  arrived  in  it,  and  all  night  thereafter  the 
Rebels  were  beating  drums  and  cheering  over  more  rein- 
forcements. It  seems  almost  certain  that  if  Hunter  had 
been  only  one  day  earlier  in  his  attempt  against  Lynch- 
burg, the  place  would  have  fallen.  But  after  all  the  result 
as  it  was  may  have  been  best,  for  it  led  to  Sheridan’s 
opportunity  to  establish  his  great  ability  as  a commander, 
to  his  signal  victories  in  the  Valley  as  before  written, 
and  thereby,  very  probably  to  the  hastening  of  the  down- 
fall of  the  rebellion. 

(453)  Hunter  having  satisfied  himself  that  Early’s 
corps  had  come  to  the  defense  of  the  city  started  just  after 
dark  on  the  retreat.  We  marched  all  night  stopping  at 
Otter  creek  in  the  morning,  the  19th,  to  rest  and  prepare 
something  to  eat,  having  marched  18  miles.  After  break- 
fast we  marched  on,  passing  through  Liberty  and  camped 
three  miles  beyond  along  the  line  of  the  Virginia  and 
Tennessee  railroad.  Now  that  Hunter  had  failed  in  his 
attempt  against  Lynchburg  he  was  compelled  to  abandon 
his  Shenandoah  line  on  account  of  Early’s  having  the 
shorter  route  to  it,  and  retreat  to  Charleston  on  the 
Kanawha  by  way  of  Buford’s  Gap,  following  the  rail- 
road from  Liberty  to  Salem,  at  which  point  36  miles  from 
Liberty  the  railroad  was  left. 

(454)  We  left  camp  near  Liberty  about  2 o’clock  in 
the  morning  the  20th,  passing  through  Thoxton’s  and 


148 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


Buford’s  stations,  at  which  places  some  subsistence  was 
obtained  and  going  on  after  a march  of  17  miles  we 
stopped  in  Buford’s  Gap  in  the  Blue  Ridge  to  eat  of 
our  scant  supply  and  rest.  A little  after  dark  we  resumed 
our  march.  Shortly  after  the  infantry  started,  our  cavalry 
staying  behind  for  a time  captured  about  a hundred  of 
the  Rebel  cavalry,  in  the  pass,  who  had  been  harassing 
our  rear.  We  marched  all  night  reaching  Salem  in  the 
morning.  Here  we  halted  to  meal,  breakfast  and  dinner. 
While,  here  the  enemy  attacked  our  rear.  The  attack  not 
very  serious,  was  repulsed.  The  wagon  train  and  some 
artillery  were  sent  ahead,  some  cavalry  having  gone  ahead 
a while  before. 

(455)  About  three  miles  from  Salem  the  rear  of  the 
train  which  from  oversight  or  want  of  precaution  had 
little  or  no  guard  with  it,  was  attacked  by  McCausland, 
capturing  or  killing  a number  of  horses,  cutting  down 
the  carriages  of  five  guns  so  that  they  had  to  be  abandoned 
and  getting  off  with  three  guns.  The  infantry  were 
hurried  up  from  the  rear  and  he  was  driven  off  with  a 
loss  to  us  of  thirty  men.  After  this  affair  with  the  Rebels 
we  marched  on  ten  miles  farther,  passing  over  a moun- 
tain and  camped  for  the  night  of  the  21st,  to  have  our 
first  good  rest.  We  had  marched  in  the  last  twenty- 
four  hours  26  miles,  and  in  all  for  the  last  three  days 
70  miles  doing  most  of  the  marching  after  night  though 
the  nights  were  short,  with  little  or  no  sleep.  The  men 
were  so  worn  out  for  want  of  sleep  that  when  a short 
stop  was  made  for  a rest,  they  would  fall  asleep  and 
were  hard  to  waken  up.  Though  our  march  had  thus 
been  rapid  the  bridges,  stations,  and  water  tanks  along 
the  railroad  as  far  as  we  followed  it  were  pretty 
thoroughly  destroyed  by  our  men. 

(456)  Near  the  summit  of  the  mountain  over  which 
we  had  just  passed  on  the  road  in  our  rear  up  which 
the  Rebels  were  expected  to  come  our  men  had  placed  in 


149 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


position  two  pieces  of  artillery  to  give  them  a salute  if 
they  should  venture  up  the  mountain.  In  the  night 
cavalry  were  heard  coming  and  when  they  were  near 
enough  the  artillery  was  opened  on  them,  sending  them 
down  the  mountain  flying.  *The  Rebels  followed  us  no 
farther. 

(457)  We  remained  in  camp  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain till  1 o’clock  P.  M.,  when  the  22nd,  we  resumed  our 
march.  We  passed  through  New  Castle,  over  Middle 
Mountain,  Peter’s  Mountain,  through  Sweet  Springer, 
over  Allegheny  Mountain,  through  White  Sulphur 
Springs  where  the  men  being  so  hard  pressed  for  some- 
thing to  eat  pulled  up  growing  potatoes  and  ate  the  old 
tubers ; crossed  the  Greenbriar  River,  passed  through 
Lewisburg,  over  Little  Sewell  Mountain,  and  over  Big 
Sewell  Mountain,  camping  at  its  foot.  It  was  on  coming 
up  one  of  these  mountains  that  many  dead  horses  were 
seen.  So  many  were  they,  it  seemed  that,  for  a mile  or 
two,  there  was  one  to  every  rod  or  two.  They  had 
given  out  from  want  of  feed  and  were  shot  to  keep  the 
enemy  from  getting  them. 

(458)  It  was  now  the  27th,  the  9th  day  since  we  had 
left  Lynchburg.  We  had  marched  from  that  time  168 
miles.  For  the  last  three  or  four  days  we  had  had  in 
the  way  of  subsistence  little  or  nothing  except  coffee, 
sugar  and  very  poor  beef,  of  which  latter  the  men  became 
very  sick,  getting  it  only  partially  cooked  by  roasting  it 
over  a fire.  We  had  got  to  that  extremity  that  we  were 
glad  to  get  bran  or  raw  corn  to  eat.  It  was  said  that  an 
officer  in  one  case  at  least,  offered  a dollar  for  a pint  of 
corn.  Here  at  the  west  base  of  Big  Sewell,  however,  the 
train  of  supplies  which  had  been  promised  us  for  a day 
or  two,  finally  came  up  to  the  great  gladness  of  all. 
And  the  race  for  rations  was  now  at  an  end. 

(459)  The  next  day  we  pushed  on  and  passed  the 
Hawksnest  on  the  New  River,  the  29th,  an  almost  per- 


150 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


pendicular  precipice  of  rocks,  eleven  hundred  feet  high, 
overlooking  the  river ; crossed  the  Ganley  River  the  same 
day  at  its  junction  with  the  former  river,  the  two  streams 
forming  the  Kanawha  river,  and  camped.  We  remained 
here  two  days,  being  now  within  easy  reach  of  supplies, 
and  were  mustered  for  pay  while  here.  July  2nd,  we 
marched  to  Camp  Piatt  on  the  Kanawha  ten  miles  from 
Charleston,  having  marched  227  miles  from  Lynchburg. 

(460)  Col.  Strother,  Gen.  Hunter’s  chief  of  staff  in 
his  report  of  the  expedition,  gives  these  results : “About 
50  miles  of  the  Virginia  Central  railroad  had  been 
effectually  destroyed.  The  Virginia  and  Tennessee  road 
had  been  destroyed  to  some  extent  for  the  same  distance ; 
an  incredible  amount  of  public  property  had  been  buried, 
including  canal  boats  and  railroad  trains  loaded  with  ordi- 
nance and  commissary  stores ; numerous  extensive  iron 
works,  manufactories  of  saltpetre,  musket  stocks,  shoes, 
saddles  and  artillery  harness,  woolen  cloths  and  grain 
mills.  About  three  hundred  muskets  and  twenty  pieces 
of  cannon  with  quantities  of  shells  and  gun  powder  fell 
into  our  hands,  while  immense  quantities  of  provisions, 
cattle  and  horses  were  captured  and  used  by  the  army.” 
Col.  Strother  claims  also  the  infliction  of  a loss  of  2,000 
killed  and  wounded  on  the  enemy,  besides  the  taking  of 
2,000  prisoners  with  a total  loss  of  only  1,500  men  and 
eight  guns  in  Hunter’s  command  (see  Pond)  Hunter, 
however,  lost  a great  many  horses,  mules  and  wagons 
by  reason  of  lack  of  subsistence  for  the  horses  and 
mules. 

(461)  It  appears  that  a far  greater  result  was  achieved 
by  Hunter’s  expedition  than  any  or  it  may  be,  of  all  those 
given  by  Col.  Strother;  for  Jefferson  Davis  explained  to 
the  people  of  Georgia  after  the  fall  of  Atlanta  that  “an 
audacious  movement  of  the  enemy  up  to  the  very  walk 
of  Lynchburg  had  rendered  it  necessary  that  the  govern- 
ment should  send  a formidable  body  of  troops  to  cover 


151 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 

that  vital  point,  which  had  otherwise  been  intended  for 
the  relief  of  Atlanta.” 

(462)  Hunter  regarded  the  achievements  of  his  com- 
mand as  valuable.  He  sent  a dispatch  from  Lomp  Creek 
near  Ganley  Bridge,  June  28th,  saying  that,  “ the  expedi- 
tion had  been  extremely  successful  inflicting  great  injury 
upon  the  enemy.’  He  added,  “The  command  is  in  ex- 
cellent heart  and  health.”  Gen.  Hunter,  who  had  kept 
up  during  the  raid  a rather  luxuriant  table,  comparatively 
sumptuously  supplied,  was  perhaps  himself  in  pretty  good 
health  and  heart ; but  that  his  troops  in  general — who 
had  suffered  much  deprivation  and  hardship,  having  to 
live  mainly  on  meat  for  some  days  inferior  no  doubt  to 
good  mule  meat,  and  having  been  so  exhaustively 
marched  that  a few  days  before  we  reached  rations  he 
ordered  those  of  the  command,  who  could  not  keep  up 
to  keep  in  squads  so  that  they  could  defend  themselves 
from  bushwhackers — would  agree  with  this  opinion  is 
hardly  to  be  believed. 

(463)  July  3rd,  the  Twelfth  with  a considerably  por- 
tion of  Hunter’s  infantry  besides,  took  steamboats  at 
Camp  Piatt  on  the  Kanawha  for  Parkersburg  on  the 
Ohio,  to  take  cars  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad 
back  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley  again.  We  passed  down 
the  Kanawha  and  up  the  Ohio  getting  along  pretty  well 
till  we  came  to  Buffington’s  Island  where  we  had  to  go 
ashore  and  foot  it  a short  distance  on  account  of  the 
boats  not  being  able  to  pass  the  schools  there  with  her 
load  of  passengers.  After  passing  the  shoals  we 
boarded  the  boats  again.  From  this  point  we  got  along 
pretty  well  till  we  got  to  Blannertassett’s  Island,  about 
six  miles  from  Parkersburg,  where  we  had  to  go  ashore 
again  on  account  of  low  water,  and  march  to  that  city, 
arriving  at  a village  opposite  the  4th,  having  marched 
up  on  the  Ohio  side  of  the  river  and  camped  for  the 
night. 


152 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


(464)  We  crossed  the  river  the  next  day  and  took 
the  cars  for  the  Valley.  It  was  five  days  later  when  we 
reached  the  village  of  Hedgersville  on  the  western  skirt 
of  the  Valley,  having  been  detained  on  the  way  on 
account  of  the  Rebels  having  burnt  several  bridges  east  of 
Cumberland,  Md.,  which  had  to  be  rebuilt  before  the 
trains  could  go  on.  At  this  village  we  began  to  hear 
reports  and  rumors  as  to  the  nearness  and  strength  of 
the  enemy;  but  notwithstanding  whatever  the  command- 
ing general  may  have  known  the  troops  generally  seemed 
to  have  no  definite  information  as  to  the  strength  of 
the  Rebels  near  us. 


153 


CHAPTER  IX. 


(465)  The  next  day,  the  11th,  after  our  arrival  at 
Hedgesville  our  brigade  which  was  now  united,  marched 
to  Martinsburg  having  had  to  march  from  near  Back 
Creek,  a distance  of  15  miles,  on  account  of  the  Rebels 
having  torn  up  the  railroad  east  of  that  creek.  We 
had  now  got  back  to  the  town  from  which  we  had 
started  on  April  29th,  under  Sigel  up  the  Valley.  Just 
before  we  reached  the  town  our  cavalry  had  driven  out  of 
it  a small  force  of  Rebel  cavalry.  According  to  Col. 
Curtis  when  we  moved  from  here  under  Sigel,  the 
Twelfth  had  800  men  present,  while  now  we  were  reduced 
to  250  men  present  for  duty.  The  five-sixths  of  this 
reduction  mainly  of  sick,  it  is  safe  to  say  was  chargable 
to  the  Lynchburg  raid  principally,  showing  how  severe  it 
was  on  the  men,  and  hardly  sustaining  Hunter’s  dispatch 
from  near  Ganley  Bridge,  that  the  men  were  in  excellent 
health.  But  though  the  command  suffered  great  hard- 
ships they  could  not  say  that  they  were  not  forewarned 
by  Gen.  Hunter,  that  that  was  what  they  might  expect 
and  so  they  could  not  say  that  they  were  deceived  in  that 
particular. 

(466)  As  before  said  we  were  once  more  in  the  Val- 
ley ; once  a fair  land  of  peace  and  plenty,  but  now  a 
desolate  land  battle-scarred  and  laid  waste  by  the  con- 
flicts of  contending  armies ; and  fated  to  be  the  theatre 
of  further  bloody  battles ; when  in  truth  it  might  be  said : 
“The  earth  is  covered  thick  with  other  clay, 

Which  her  own  clay  shall  cover,  heaped  and  pent.’’ 

(467)  The  day  our  brigade  arrived  at  Martinsburg 
the  Rebel  Gen.  Early,  who  had  marched  from  the  relief 
of  Lynchburg  into  the  Valley  and  whose  troops  had 
burned  bridges  and  torn  up  the  track  of  the  Baltimore 


155 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


and  Ohio  road,  east  and  west  of  Martinsburg,  appeared 
before  Washington  having  gone  there  to  attempt  its  cap- 
ture. But  he  like  Hunter  at  Lynchburg  was  just  one  day 
too  late,  the  Sixth  Corps  having  come  to  the  relief  of  the 
capitol  that  same  day,  just  as  Early  had  come  to  the 
relief  of  Lynchburg  the  very  day  Hunter  appeared  before 
that  city.  The  next  day  the  12th,  after  some  sharp  fight- 
ing with  the  Sixth  Corps,  Eearly,  being  satisfied  by 
prisoners  captured  that  Grant  had  sent  reinforcements 
to  Washington,  withdrew  from  before  the  city.  It  is 
possible  that  Early’s  attempt  to  capture  Washington 
might  have  been  successful,  had  not  Gen.  Sigel  wisely 
withdrawn  his  troops  from  Martinsburg  on  learning  that 
Early  was  coming  and  thus  frustrating  his  (Early’s)  plan 
to  capture  them,  and  marched  to  Harpers  Ferry  gather- 
ing up  some  troops  on  the  way,  and  occupied  Maryland 
Heights  just  where  according  to  Pond  he  was  not  wanted 
by  Early,  he  having  been  detained  there  for  a day  in  a 
vain  attempt  to  dislodge  Sigel  intending  to  make  that  his 
(Early’s)  base  in  his  movement  against  the  capitol,  and 
had  he  not  met  with  further  detention  by  Lew  Wallace’s 
stubborn  fighting  at  Monocacy  Junction. 

(468)  The  Twelfth  remained  two  days  at  Martins- 
burg when  the  13th,  we  marched  taking  the  road  leading 
to  Harpers  Ferry,  reaching  there  the  next  day  crossing 
into  Maryland,  passing  down  the  Potomac  and  camped 
about  two  miles  from  Harpers  Ferry  near  Knoxville. 
There  were  now  here  about  9,000  troops  mainly  of 
Hunter’s  troops.  The  15th,  the  force  here  waded  the 
river  into  Virginia  and  took  the  road  leading  toward 
Leesburg  about  18  miles  distant.  When  about  nine 
miles  on  the  way,  we  turned  to  the  right  and  marched 
to  Hillsborough  in  Londown  county  and  camped  for  the 
night.  Early’s  foiled  army  was  now  on  the  way  from 
Washington  to  the  Valley  followed  by  Gen.  Wright  of  the 
Sixth  Corps  with  a force  of  about  15,000  men. 


156 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


(469)  The  same  night  that  we  were  lying  at  Hills- 
borough, Early  was  at  Leesburg  about  a half  day’s  march 
distant  having  lain  there  all  the  day  before ; but  the  next 
morning  the  16th,  he  moved  through  Hamilton  and 
Purcellville  to  Snicker's  and  Ashby’s  Gaps.  Hunter’s 
troops  might  easily  have  been  thrown  across  Early’s 
route  ahead  of  him,  and  would  have  been  no  doubt,  had 
the  follower’s  strength  been  great  enough,  but  his  force 
being  too  small  to  risk  an  attack,  it  was  evidently  deemed 
prudent  to  not  make  it.  However,  Tibbets’s  small  bri- 
gade of  Duffies  cavalry  attacked  Early’s  trains  and  cap- 
tured one  hundred  and  seventeen  mules  and  horses, 
eighty-two  wagons  and  40  or  50  prisoners  getting  off  with 
thirty-seven  loaded  wagons  and  burning  over  forty 
others.  This  attack  on  the  Rebel  trains  was  made  near 
Purcellville  as  they  moved  through  that  town. 

(470)  On  this  same  day,  the  16th,  our  division  under 
the  immediate  command  of  Gen.  Crook  marched  to  Pur- 
cellville, five  miles  from  Hillsborough,  starting  at  4 P.  M. 
At  the  former  town  it  was  reported  that  Wright’s  com- 
mand was  only  three  miles  east  of  there.  We  stayed  all 
the  next  day  at  Purcellville ; but  the  following  day,  the 
18th,  we  marched  taking  the  road  leading  to  Snicker’s 
Gap.  On  the  way  while  stopping  to  rest  the  Sixth  Corps 
came  up.  Our  division  now  under  Col.  Thoburn  moved 
through  the  gap  and  passed  down  the  Shenandoah  River 
about  two  miles  below  Snicker’s  Ferry,  he,  having  been 
ordered  by  Gen.  Crook  about  2 o’clock  to  move  his 
division  with  the  Third  Brigade  of  the  Second  to  Island 
Ford,  cross  there  and  move  up  to  Snicker’s  Ford  to  hold 
it  for  the  army  to  cross. 

(471)  Thoburn  proceeded  to  execute  this  order  and 
thus  brought  on  the  engagement  of  Snicker’s  Ferry. 
When  Thoburn’s  men  attempted  to  cross,  the  enemy 
having  a picket  behind  bushes,  opened  a brisk  fire;  but 
Wells’  brigade  finding  a good  fording  some  distance 


157 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


below  pushed  across  and  captured  the  Rebel  picket  of  15 
men,  and  the  captain  commanding  them.  Thoburn’s 
force  now  all  moved  over,  when  he,  learning  from  the 
prisoners  that  there  was  a large  force  of  the  enemy  near, 
sent  word  back  to  Crook  to  that  effect,  who  now  ordered 
Thoburn  to  not  attempt  to  march  to  the  ferry,  but  to 
await  a reinforcement  of  a brigade  from  the  Sixth 
Corps. 

(472)  Before  long  the  enemy  attacked  in  strong  force. 
About  this  time  the  Sixth  Corps  came  up,  halting  within 
close  cannon  shot  upon  the  Blue  Ridge,  which  here  closely 
skirts  the  river,  but  no  reinforcements  came  to  us.  Breck- 
inridge attacked  on  the  left  and  centre  and  Rhodes  on 
the  right.  Here  on  the  extreme  right  was  a lot  of  dis- 
mounted cavalry  from  various  regiments  under  com- 
mand of  Lieut.  Col.  Young  of  the  Fourth  Pennsylvania, 
who  soon  gave  way  retreating  across  the  river.  Thoburn 
quickly  changed  front  to  meet  the  flank  attack  of  Rhodes 
but  after  hard  fighting,  our  right  was  forced  across  the 
river  some  getting  drowned.  Our  left  held  its  ground 
until  ordered  back,  recrossing  the  river  in  fairly  good 
order,  considering  circumstances.  The  fight  was  short 
but  severe.  Our  loss  was  65  killed,  301  wounded  and 
56  missing.  Total,  422.  Among  the  field  officers  our 
loss  was  heavy.  Col.  Dan.  Frost  of  the  Eleventh,  Lieut. 
Col.  Thomas  Morris  of  the  Fifteenth  West  Virginia  In- 
fantry and  the  Colonel  of  an  Ohio  regiment  were  killed, 
and  Col.  Washburn  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth 
Ohio  Infantry  was  thought  to  be  mortally  wounded,  a 
musket  ball  having  entered  his  left  eye  and  come  out  of 
his  right  ear ; but  he  recovered.  The  loss  of  the  Rebels 
must  also  have  been  severe,  and  the  more  so  since  in  forc- 
ing our  men  back  they  brought  themselves  within  range 
of  the  Sixth  Corps  batteries,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  which  opened  and  kept  up  a hot  fire  upon  them  for 
a little  while  doing  good  execution,  and  thus  aiding  also 


158 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


our  men  in  recrossing  the  river.  The  next  day  the  Rebels 
were  busy  burying  their  dead  and  removing  their 
wounded,  and  two  days  later  when  the  enemy  had  gone 
the  citizens,  living  near  the  battle  field  told  us  that  their 
loss  was  heavy. 

(473)  At  the  time  of  this  engagement,  Thoburn’s  men 
regarded  the  failure  of  the  Sixth  Corps  to  come  to  their 
support  as  resulting  from  an  indifference  on  the  part 
of  that  corps,  as  to  how  Thoburn’s  men  came  out  in  the 
fight.  However,  the  true  explanation  of  the  matter  may 
be  found  in  this  dispatch  from  Wright  to  Halleck : ‘‘The 
attempt  at  crossing  was  resisted  in  strong  force;  and 
believing  it  better  to  turn  his  position  I designed  doing 
so  by  way  of  Keyes  Gap  thus  effecting  a junction  with 
some  of  the  forces  of  Gen.  Hunter  lower  down  the 
Valley.” 

(474)  The  Twelfth  was  the  last  regiment  to  retreat 
across  the  river.  According  to  the  account  of  Col.  Curtis, 
Col.  Thoburn  having  confidence  in  the  pluck  and  staying 
qualities  of  our  boys,  ordered  him  to  form  his  regiment  in 
line  in  front  of  the  ford,  and  hold  it  at  all  hazard  till 
further  orders.  The  position  was  an  excellent  one  being 
in  a road  parallel  with  the  river,  the  bank  of  which  road 
made  a good  breast  work.  The  regiment  held  its  posi- 
tion until  ordered  to  recross  the  river  doing  so  in  the 
dusk  of  the  evening,  the  rest  of  the  force  having  crossed 
shortly  before.  One  of  the  noticeable  features  of  the 
fight  here,  observed  by  our  men,  was  a peculiar  way  the 
Rebel  skirmishers  had.  They  would  advance  fire  and 
then  turn  their  backs  toward  us  to  load,  those  seen 
obliquetly  to  our  left  wore  a blue-grey  uniform,  which 
at  a distance  looked  blue:  This  fact  together  with  their 
having  their  backs  toward  us  when  loading,  caused  doubt 
as  to  whether  they  were  our  men  or  the  enemy,  and  some 
of  the  officers  gave  orders  to  fire  upon  them  while  others, 
saying  they  were  our  men  gave  orders  to  not  fire ; but 


159 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


when  it  was  generally  seen  which  way  these  skirmishers 
were  firing  there  was  no  longer  any  doubt,  and  the  men 
were  told  to  let  them  have  it.  Here  and  on  our  left 
generally,  the  Rebels  were  driven  back. 

(475)  One  of  the  especially  sad  and  lamentable  results 
of  this  fight  was,  that  some  members  of  the  Fourth  West 
Virginia  Infantry  whose  time  had  expired  were  killed  in 
it.  They  had  been  waiting  before  starting  home  until  a 
sufficiently  strong  force  should  be  going  to  the  rear  to 
make  it  safe  for  them  to  start.  In  the  meantime  this 
Snicker’s  Ferry  fight  came  on,  and  the  Fourth  boys  being 
plucky  fellows  generally,  these  discharged  men  said  that 
they  would  not  stand  back  while  their  comrades  were 
going  into  a fight,  and  so  some  of  the  poor  fellows  were 
killed  with  discharges  in  their  pockets. 

(476)  The  next  day  after  the  battle  our  forces  lay 
on  one  side  of  the  river  and  the  enemy  on  the  other, 
our  sharpshooters  getting  a shot  at  them  once  in  awhile. 
One  division  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps  came  up  this  day. 
Generals  Averell  and  Duval  were  now  moving  up  the 
Valley  toward  Winchester  from  Martinsburg  with  2,700 
troops,  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery,  getting  in  Early’s 
rear.  In  the  morning  the  20th,  his  force  was  gone  from 
our  front.  Averell’s  movement  no  doubt,  compelling  this 
withdrawal,  and  during  the  day  we  crossed  the  river  and 
camped  in  some  woods.  Before  the  troops  here  crossed 
the  river,  however,  we  heard  considerable  commanding 
away  to  the  west  of  us.  There  was  much  conjecture 
among  the  rank  and  file  as  to  what  that  meant.  This 
proved  to  be  a battle  between  Averell’s  force,  Duval  com- 
manding the  infantry  and  a superior  Rebel  force,  the 
fight  being  near  Winchester,  in  which  Averell  won  a 
complete  victory. 

(477)  That  evening  the  6th,  and  the  Nineteenth  Corps 
recrossed  the  river  and  took  the  road  leading  through 
Leesburg  to  Washington,  Wright  thinking  it  seems  that 


160 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


Early  was  on  his  way  to  Richmond  and  expecting  it 
appears,  that  he  Wright  would  be  returned  to  Grant  at 
Petersburg.  But  he  had  made  a mistake  in  his  inferences, 
for  his  troops  did  not  go  farther  than  Georgetown,  D.  C., 
and  it  will  presently  be  seen  that  Early  was  not  yet 
ready  to  leave  the  Valley. 

(478)  The  22nd,  we  marched  passing  through  Berrys- 
ville  to  Winchester,  and  camped  about  two  miles  beyond 
the  town  on  the  Strasburg  road.  The  purpose  of  Gen. 
Crook  in  this  movement  was  to  watch  Early’s  movements 
and  if  possible  ascertain  his  purposes.  He  did  not  have 
to  wait  long  to  find  them  out.  Early  did  not  retreat 
farther  up  the  Valley  than  Strasburg,  and  learning  there 
that  Wright’s  force  had  returned  to  Washington,  he 
concluded  to  attack  Crook,  which  he  did,  and  this  brought 
on  the  battle  of  Kearnstown.  The  next  day  after  our 
arrival  at  our  camp  near  Winchester,  the  enemy  drove 
in  our  pickets,  but  after  some  skirmishing  the  Rebels  were 
driven  back.  The  day  after  this  affair  with  the  pickets. 
Early  attacked  Crook  with  his  whole  force  at  Kearns- 
town. The  Twelfth  had  been  formed  in  line  that  Sunday 
forenoon,  July  24th,  for  inspection,  at  least  the  men  had 
received  orders  to  get  ready  for  that  purpose;  but  sud- 
denly without  there  being  any  inspection  the  men  were 
ordered  to  load  at  will. 

(479)  A half  hour  later  perhaps  our  brigade  was 
marched  toward  Kearnstown.  Before  starting  we  had 
heard  for  some  time  considerable  skirmishing  in  that 
direction,  and  it  was  still  kept  up.  It  was  the  season 
then  for  ripe  blackberries,  and  as  we  moved  toward  the 
firing  we  passed  through  fields  where  these  berries  were 
plentiful.  Some  of  the  men  could  not  forego  stepping  a 
little  out  of  ranks  and  picking  a few  of  them.  Col.  Ely 
of  the  Eighteenth  Connecticut,  commanding  the  brigade, 
noticing  the  men  commanded  them  : “Keep  in  ranks,  men, 
it  is  no  time  to  be  gathering  black  berries.”  In  truth  it 


161 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT  ' 


was  not  the  most  propitious  time  imaginable  for  that 
purpose.  It  seems  that  anything  said  or  done  at  all 
noticeable  in  a critical  and  perilous  time  is  apt  to  make 
a strong  impression  and  be  remembered,  and  the  boys 
for  some  days  afterward  were  in  the  habit  of  repeating 
the  Colonel’s  command,  “Keep  in  ranks  men,  it  is  no-o-o 
time  to  be  gathering  blackberries. 

(480)  Our  brigade  had  been  moving  forward  on  the 
right  of  the  pike.  Finally  we  took  a position  and  made 
a breast  work  of  rails — a thing  of  little  use  in  an  open 
country  like  that ; for  a breast  work  there  can  easily 
be  taken  in  flank.  It  was  not  long  until  we  were  moved 
from  this  position  and  placed  in  line,  still  on  the  right  of 
the  pike  with  the  other  troops.  About  1 or  2 o’clock  in 
the  afternoon  Early  attacked  with  his  whole  force.  There 
are  no  data  at  hand  showing  Crooks  strength ; but  it 
was  much  inferior  to  that  of  Early,  the  latter  having  force 
enough  to  fight  us  in  front  and  to  flank  us  on  both 
flanks.  In  fact,  it  was  his  expectation  to  cut  off  our 
retreat  and  capture  our  whole  force.  Our  left  was  struck 
in  flank  and  doubled  up  and  at  the  same  time  the  centre 
being  hard  pressed,  the  left  and  centre  gave  way.  Crook 
seeing  this  and  knowing  that  he  had  not  force  enough 
to  fight  Earlys  whole  army  ordered  a retreat  at  about 
3 o’clock,  an  hour  or  so  after  the  battle  began.  The 
Twelfth  changed  front  once  during  the  battle  but  did 
not  otherwise  give  ground  until  ordered  off  the  field. 
Col.  Ely  giving  the  order,  saying  to  Col.  Curtis,  “Move 
your  men  off  the  field  by  the  right  flank.” 

(481)  The  Rebels  followed  us  sharply  for  six  or  eight 
miles.  After  passing  Winchester  our  brigade,  halted  at 
times  and  skirmished  with  the  enemy.  Just  as  night  was 
coming  on  while  we  were  in  a piece  of  woods,  a squadron 
of  Rebel  cavalry  came  in  view  riding  within  close  range. 
They  were  going  in  an  opposite  direction  from  us  at 
a distance  to  our  right.  When  near  us  they  halted.  It 


162 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


being  near  night  it  was  hard  to  tell  whether  they  were 
friends  or  enemies ; but  many  of  the  men  of  the  brigade 
especially  of  the  Second  Maryland  regiment  began  firing 
on  them,  being  satisfied  that  they  were  Rebels ; and  they 
retreated  toward  Winchester,  their  horses  prancing  under 
the  fire.  Our  brigade  became  separated  from  the  rest  of 
the  troops  and  for  some  reason  instead  of  following 
the  direction  of  the  pike  toward  Martinsburg,  as  did  the 
other  troops,  we  turned  toward  North  Mountain.  Part 
of  the  way  toward  the  mountain  we  passed  through  rough 
stony  woods,  and  it  being  a pitch  dark  night — -so  very 
dark  that  you  could  scarcely  see  the  man  next  you — the 
men  stumbled  considerably,  falling  sometimes  while  in 
the  woods. 

(482)  By  reason  of  the  darkness  we  had  to  get  a 
guide  to  pilot  us ; and  for  the  same  reason  Col.  Thoburn 
and  Col.  Curtis  got  separated  from  the  command,  for 
some  days  we  did  not  know  what  had  become  of  them. 
We  camped  at  the  village  of  Gerardtown  at  the  base  of 
the  mountain.  The  main  portion  of  Crook’s  infantry 
camped  at  Bunker  Hill.  Before  daylight  the  next  morn- 
ing we  marched  for  Martinsburg,  there  meeting  the  rest 
of  our  force.  Our  brigade  was  detailed  as  a guard  for 
our  wagon  trains.  Before  leaving  with  the  trains,  how- 
ever, cannonading  had  begun  south  of  the  town,  Crook 
was  holding  the  enemy  back  till  he  could  get  his  trains 
away.  We  arrived  opposite  Williamsport,  Washington 
county  Maryland,  in  the  evening  and  camped  for  the 
night. 

(483)  In  the  morning  the  26th,  we  crossed  over  to 
the  town  and  marched  first  to  Sharpsburg,  then  to  Sandy 
hook  and  next,  passing  through  Harpers  Ferry  to 
Halltown  arriving  there  the  28th.  On  this  day  Cols.  Tho- 
burn and  Curtis  returned  to  their  commands.  The  boys 
were  all  heartily  glad  to  see  them,  giving  them  rousing 
cheers  on  their  return,  and  they  no  doubt  were  no  less 


163 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


glad  to  be  once  more  with  their  commands.  Col.  Curtis 
says  that  when  he  and  Thoburn  became  separated  from 
their  commands  they  were  surrounded  by  a squad  of 
Rebel  cavalry,  who  fired  upon  them,  compelling  them  to 
abandon  their  horses  and  take  refuge  in  a corn  field. 
The  next  morning  they  found  the  entire  Rebel  force 
between  them  and  their  commands.  They  made  their 
way  to  North  Mountain.  By  traveling  at  nights  and 
sleeping  in  the  day  time,  living  on  black  berries  part  of 
the  time  they,  through  the  assistance  of  the  colored  people 
and  loyal  whites  at  last  returned  to  their  commands  to 
report  for  duty,  being  four  days  absent  without  leave. 

(484)  Recurring  to  the  battle  of  Kearnstown,  Crook 
went  to  that  town  as  before  mentioned  to  learn  of  Early’s 
movements;  but  it  is  believed  that  a battle  there  could 
have  been  avoided  with  little  or  no  loss  to  us ; and  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  Crook  knew  that  he  did  not  have 
force  enough  to  meet  Early’s  entire  army,  he  should 
have  declined  an  engagement.  The  sacrifice  of  1,200 
men.  Col.  Mulligan  commanding  a division  was  killed 
in  this  engagement.  Crook’s  estimated  loss  was  too 
great  simply  to  get  information  as  to  the  enemys  pur- 
poses, when  the  knowledge  might  have  been  got  other- 
wise. The  loss  of  the  enemy  has  been  supposed  to  be 
light. 

(485)  The  loss  of  the  Twelfth  in  this  battle  was  incon- 
siderable mainly  in  prisoners  taken.  It  was  perhaps 
twenty-five  or  thirty  in  all.  At  the  beginning  of  the  fight 
Lieut.  Col.  Brown  was  ordered  on  to  the  skirmish  line 
with  two  companies.  It  was  from  these  companies  prin- 
cipally that  the  prisoners  were  taken.  When  our  main 
force  retreated,  these  skirmishers  received  no  order  to 
fall  back,  the  order  not  reaching  them,  and  they  being 
left  behind  were  surrounded  and  a part  of  them,  mostly 
from  Company  K,  were  captured.  Lieut.  Col.  Brown, 
then  major,  and  Lieut.  John  A.  Briggs,  of  Company  K, 


164 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


were  among  the  prisoners.  These  two  officers,  however, 
managed  to  escape  at  Harrisonburg  from  their  guards 
while  the  latter  were  asleep  and  made  their  way  from 
there  to  North  Mountain  reaching  there  about  daylight 
one  morning  a few  hours  after  their  escape.  As  day  was 
breaking  they  hid  in  woods.  It  was  not  long  till  the 
Rebel  cavalry  were  seen  coming  in  search  for  them.  They 
came  so  near  that  they  could  be  heard  talking.  Fortu- 
nately, however,  the  fugitives  were  not  discovered.  The 
particulars  of  how  Lieut.  Col.  Brown  and  Lieut.  Briggs 
made  their  way  to  our  lines,  are  not  known,  but  some 
how  they  succeeded  in  getting  safe  through  to  New 
Creek  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad.  Lieut.  Col. 
Brown  says  that  after  his  capture  he  with  some  other 
officers  was  brought  before  Gen.  Breckinridge,  who,  he 
says  was  a fine  looking  man,  thus  concurring  with  the 
popular  opinion.  The  general  questioned  the  prisoners, 
as  to  the  strength  of  Crook’s  command  and  so  forth,  but 
they  gave  him  no  satisfaction  in  the  way  of  information. 

(486)  Col.  Curtis  tells  of  an  incident  of  Crook’s  re- 
treat, about  a colored  boy,  his  servant.  When  the 
retreat  began  the  boy  had  charge  of  a mule  having  all 
the  Colonel’s  cooking  utensils  and  other  camp  equipage 
strapped  upon  him.  After  awhile  the  regiment  came  to 
a fence,  the  men  climbed  over,  the  Colonel  jumped  his 
horse  over  and  the  boy  tried  to  get  the  mule  to  jump, 
but  he  refused.  The  case  was  urgent,  as  the  bullets 
were  flying  all  around  us ; but  the  boy  held  on  to  the 
mule  trying  to  get  him  to  jump.  The  mule  was  still 
stubborn.  In  the  midst  of  the  boy’s  efforts  a ball  struck 
him  in  the  neck,  bleeding  him  freely.  This  caused  him  to 

free  his  mind.  He  said : “Well  a d d mule  and  a 

nigger  are  two  of  the  most  contrary  things  in  the  world.” 
It  is  not  known  whether  the  boy’s  vigorous  expletive  had 
any  effect  upon  the  mule,  but  about  this  time  he  jumped 
the  fence  and  the  boy  brought  off  the  mule  and  traps 
in  safety. 


165 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


(487)  Richard  W.  Mahan  of  Company  K,  who  was 
captured  in  this  engagement  tells  the  story  of  his  capture 
and  prison  trials  as  follows : 

(488)  As  soon  as  our  regiment  was  brought  up  my 
company  (K)  and  Company  E,  were  filed  out  without 
halting  the  regiment,  and  deployed  on  the  right  as  skir- 
mishers. This  was  the  last  I saw  of  the  regiment  for  ten 
months.  I have  always  thought  that  we  were  sacrificed 
in  this  engagement— I mean  the  skirmishers.  We  com- 
menced to  fall  back  after  it  was  too  late,  very  slowly  too, 
firing  in  retreat.  Our  army  by  this  time  had  fallen  back 
out  of  sight;  and  the  Forty-fourth  Virginia  (Rebel) 
cavalry  was  close  on  our  right  and  in  our  rear.  So  after 
a short,  but  brisk  home  stretch  we  surrendered  in  the 
open  field  and  hot  sun,  with  no  apple  tree  near  to  make 
the  terms  under.  Seventeen  of  our  regiment,  including 
two  officers  Maj.  R.  H.  Brown  and  Lieut.  John  A.  Briggs 
eight  of  them  being  of  my  company  were  captured  here. 

(489)  We  were  guarded  the  first  night  in  an  old  school 
house.  The  next  morning  we  were  taken  to  Winchester 
and  kept  there  about  two  days  with  nothing  to  eat  until 
the  third  day  when  they  started  us  off  on  the  march  for 
Staunton,  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  away.  We  were 
there  loaded  into  cars  that  were  already  loaded  with  pig 
metal  and  taken  to  Lynchburg,  and  kept  there  ten  days. 
Thence  to  Danville,  Va.,  arriving  there  on  the  11th  day 
of  August,  having  traveled  in  closed  box  cars  that  had 
been  used  in  shipping  charcoal  and  tar ; and  when  we 
were  taken  from  the  cars  into  the  light  we  were  so 
black  that  we  could  scarcely  recognize  each  other. 

(490)  From  the  depot  here  we  were  marched  to  the 
prison.  Halting  in  front  while  the  doors  were  thrown 
open,  five  dead  soldiers  were  brought  out  in  plain  pine 
boxes.  This  incident  opened  our  eyes  as  we  thought 
there  must  be  something  terrible  inside  for  death  to  make 
such  a detail  at  one  time  from  one  of  six  buildings,  con- 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


taining  about  600  prisoners  each.  We  marched  in  and 
up  to  the  garret  where  there  were  already  about  fifty 
prisoners  quartered,  who  had  no  clothing  on  except  a 
blouse  tied  around  the  waist,  it  being  so  excessively  hot 
from  the  heat  of  the  tin  roof  which  came  down  to  the 
floor  on  each  side.  The  roof  was  so  hot  that  you  could 
not  bear  your  hand  on  it  while  the  sun  shone. 

(491)  We  were  kept  here  until  the  17th  of  February, 
1865,  suffering  the  usual  ills  of  prison  life.  And  the 
great  trouble  with  most  of  us  was  short  rations,  which 
was  a half  pound  of  corn  bread  each  morning  at  9 
o'clock.  The  Johnnys  proposed  that  if  we  would  go  out 
and  work  on  their  fortifications,  they  would  give  us 
extra  rations.  A few  accepted  this  proposition  as 
workers  were  called  for  each  morning  for  two  or  three 
days ; but  they  were  punished  severely  by  the  other  pris- 
oners for  their  disloyalty,  and  soon  no  one  would  respond 
when  the  call  would  be  made.  “All  right,”  said  Johnny. 
“You  all  will  come  at  the  next  call.”  So  they  reduced 
our  rations  to  make  us  yield. 

(492)  In  the  meantime  an  organization  was  proposed 
and  effected  among  the  prisoners  of  one  hundred  mem- 
bers to  respond  to  the  next  call  with  the  intention  of  cap- 
turing the  guard  at  the  fortifications  and  making  their 
escape.  This  was  in  the  month  of  October,  and  we 
thought  that  in  the  event  we  should  escape  we  could 
subsist  on  the  mast  of  the  woods  of  the  mountains  on  our 
way  north.  All  arrangements  were  completed,  and  the 
signal  word  (which  was  Corn-Dodger)  for  combined 
action  in  making  the  attempt  at  escape  was  to  be  given 
at  4 P.  M.,  which  was  the  hour  they  would  form  us 
into  two  ranks  for  a ration  of  soup ; then  take  us  back 
to  prison.  So  in  the  morning  when  the  call  was  made 
we  responded  liberally;  but  unfortunately  for  myself  and 
twenty-four  others  the  door  was  closed  on  the  rear  of 
the  column  and  no  more  than  seventy-five  would  be 


167 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


received.  Being  greatly  disappointed  those  of  us  left  in 
prison  went  back  up  stairs  and  gazed  longingly  across  the 
Dan  River  at  our  boys  working  on  the  fortifications.  At 
4 P.  M.,  approached  we  watched  through  the  garret 
window  in  breathless  silence  to  see  the  boys  execute  the 
plan.  Sure  enough  the  signal  is  given,  the  guards  are 
clinched  and  their  guns  taken  from  them,  and  every 
prisoner  there  takes  to  his  heels  due  north.  The  Johnnys 
fired  an  alarm  from  the  fort,  and  their  reserve  citizens 
and  dogs  were  soon  in  pursuit.  They  were  nearly  all 
captured  in  the  course  of  a month  or  six  weeks  and 
brought  back.  Some  who  got  near  the  Union  lines  and 
became  careless  were  picked  up. 

(493)  The  mortality  among  the  prisoners  here  during 
the  time  mentioned  was  1,300  of  the  3,500  in  all.  We 
were  taken  from  here  to  Libby  prison  and  kept  there 
three  days  and  exchanged  on  the  22nd  of  February — a 
day  for  us  to  celebrate  for  two  reasons. 

(494)  The  next  day  the  29th,  after  our  arrival  at 
Halltown,  the  Sixth  Corps  and  one  division  of  the 
Nienteenth  Corps  arrived  there  from  Washington  having 
been  ordered  back  to  the  lower  Valley  on  account  of 
Early’s  continued  presence  there.  The  authorities,  it 
seemed,  had  now  become  convinced  that  he  had  no  notion 
of  vacating  that  place  just  then.  And  a longer  army  was 
now  concentrating  at  Halltown  for  teh  purpose  of  attack- 
ing him.  The  Twelfth  heretofore  had  belonged  to  a small 
army;  and  for  the  past  three  months  had  had  very  hard 
service  generally,  and  during  that  time  the  regiment  had 
been  in  five  engagements ; but  now  for  the  first  time  we 
were  to  be  placed  in  a comparatively  large  army,  and 
from  this  time  to  the  end  of  the  war  we  belonged  to  a 
lar°;e  one.  We  found  our  service  much  easier  from  this 
time  on  with  a large  force,  than  it  had  been  for  past  three 
months  with  a small  force.  Gen.  Hunter  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  army  concentrating  at  Halltown. 


168 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


(495)  On  the  13th,  there  being  a force  of  the  enemy 
at  this  time,  of  uncertain  strength  operating  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  there  being  a belief  or  apprehension  that  Early’s 
whole  army  was  north  of  the  Potomac  with  a general 
condition  of  uncertainty  as  to  the  situation  of  affairs 
with  respect  to  his  force  and  operations,  the  troops  at 
Halltown  soon  after  receiving  the  orders,  crossed  the 
Potomac  at  Harpers  Ferry  on  a pontoon  bridge  and 
started  on  what  Greely  calls  a wild  goose  chase  into 
Maryland,  to  head  off  a possible  attempt  by  the  enemy 
against  Washington.  The  whole  force  started  in  the 
direction  of  Frederick  City  ; but  after  marching  some 
distance,  our  division  turned  to  the  letf,  the  Sixth  Corps 
and  Nineteenth  going  toward  that  city.  We  marched 
about,  in  a halting  uncertain  way  for  three  or  four 
days  when  the  Rebel  invasion  proving  to  be  nothing 
but  a cavalry  raid,  we  marched  to  rejoin  our  other  troops 
at  the  Monoeacy,  near  Frederick  City.  Hunter’s  head- 
quarters were  in  this  city. 

(496)  The  Twelfth  remained  in  camp  at  the  Monocacy 
two  days  the  4th  and  5th  of  August.  On  this  latter  day, 
Gen.  Grant,  who  had  left  his  army  before  Petersburg,  on 
account  of  the  unsatisfactory  military  condition  in  the 
Valley,  arrived  at  Frederick  City  to  have  a conference 
with  Gen.  Hunter  and  to  give  him  orders  as  to  future 
operations.  He  gave  him  an  order  dated  “Headquarters 
in  the  field,  Monocacy  Bridge,  Md.,  August  5,  1864,” 
which  embraced  a direction  to  concentrate  his  forces  at 
Harpers  Ferry  just  where  Hunter  had  eebn  concentrating 
his  army  a week  before.  The  order  stated  with  other 
instructions,  “Bear  in  mind  the  object  is  to  drive  the 
enemy  south.”  Grant  informed  Hunter  that  a large  force 
of  cavalry  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  on  the 
way  to  join  him. 

(497)  Hunter  began  at  once  to  carry  out  the  order. 
That  same  night  part  of  Crook’s  command  crossed  the 


169 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


Potomac  and  occupied  the  old  lines  at  Halltown.  As  it 
happened  this  same  day,  the  day  of  Gran’t  order,  Early 
crossed  into  Maryland  from  Martinsburg  in  force.  But 
the  next  day  Early  recalled  his  army  to  Martinsburg, 
being  influenced  no  doubt,  by  Hunter’s  move  to  Hall- 
town,  which  threatened  Early’s  rear.  The  6th,  the 
Twelfth  marched  from  the  Monocacy  to  near  Harpers 
Ferry.  On  the  8th,  we  marched  across  the  Potomac  to 
near  Halltown  where  the  army  was  massing. 


CHAPTER  X. 


(498)  It  had  been  Grant’s  intention  to  make  Gen. 
Sheridan  field  commander  in  the  campaign  now  about  to 
begin.  But,  for  reasons  not  necessary  to  name,  Hunter 
wishing  to  be  relieved  of  command,  was  accordingly 
relieved,  and  Sheridan  put  in  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Shenandoah.  He  arrived  at  Monocacy  on  the  6th, 
and  Grant  returned  to  Washington  the  same  day.  The 
next  day  by  an  order  from  the  War  Department,  a 
Military  Division  was  made  of  the  Departments  of 
Pennsylvania,  Washington,  Maryland,  and  West  Vir- 
ginia under  Sheridan’s  command. 

(499)  Sheridan’s  army  was  now  August  10th,  30,000 
strong.  On  this  day  he  moved  from  Halltown  up  the 
Valley  to  give  battle  to  the  enemy.  Passing  through 
Berryville  and  Winchester  from  which  latter  point  the 
enemy  retreated  before  him  our  force  arrived  at  Cedar 
Creek,  forty  miles  from  Halltown  on  the  12th.  At  this 
point  the  enemy  was  disposed  to  make  a stand.  That 
evening  the  Twelfth  and  First  charged  upon  arid  drove 
the  Rebel  skirmishes  east  of  the  pike  across  the  creek. 
Crook’s  command  did  not  cross,  but  the  next  day  the 
Sixth  and  Nineteenth  Corps  crossed  the  creek  on  the 
right  of  the  pike  driving  the  enemy  before  them  for  a 
mile  or  two. 

(500)  The  next  day,  the  14th,  a detail  of  two  officers, 
Capt.  Prichard  and  Lieut.  Hewitt,  and  60  men  of  the 
Twelfth  was  sent  under  command  of  Capt  .Prichard  to 
Massanutten  Mountain  just  across  Cedar  Creek  to  guard 
a signal  corps  there.  This  guard  and  signal  corps  had, 
however,  not  been  on  the  mountain  more  than  a few 
hours  until  they  were  attacked  by  a large  force  800  men, 
a man  of  our  captured,  afterward  stated,  and  driven  oft", 


171 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


with  a loss  to  us  of  three  or  four  men  killed  and 
wounded. 

(501)  All  the  next  day  there  was  considerable  skir- 
mishing between  the  opposing  forces,  but  Sheridan  having 
received  intelligence  from  Grant  on  the  14th,  that  rein- 
forcements were  on  the  way  to  Early  began  preparing  for 
a retreat,  the  Nineteenth  Corps  starting  th  night  of  the 
15th.  The  next  day  a part  of  Anderson’s  force  crossing 
the  Shenandoah  river  on  the  Front  Royal  road  was  met 
by  Devin’s  and  Custer’s  brigades  of  cavalry  and  driven 
back  across  the  river  with  a Rebel  loss  of  300  prisoners. 
This  night,  the  16th,  the  Sixth  Corps  and  the  Eighth, 
the  latter  Crook’s  command,  retreated  down  the  Valley 
breakfasting  at  Winchester,  then  pushing  on  to  the  posi- 
tion taken  near  Berryville. 

(502)  The  morning  of  the  17th,  Early  started  in  hot 
pursuit.  Our  cavalry  with  our  small  brigade  of  infantry 
of  the  Sixth  Corps  having  been  left  at  Winchester  were 
attacked  by  the  enemy  in  the  afternoon,  but  the  brigade 
of  infantry  and  a portion  of  the  cavalry  held  them  in 
check  all  afternoon.  At  length  after  night  our  men  were 
forced  back  with  a loss  of  350  to  us,  mainly  of  the  infan- 
try, 200  of  the  latter  being  taken  prisoners.  On  the  20th, 
Sheridan  having  been  enjoined  by  Grant  to  be  cautious, 
and  not  desiring  to  give  battle  until  he  should  know 
more  definitely  the  strength  of  the  enemy,  fell  back  to 
near  Charlestown  the  lines  being  formed  with  the  Sixth 
Corps  on  the  right,  the  Nineteenth  on  the  left  and  the 
Eighth  in  the  centre. 

(503)  It  appears  that  Early  had  planned  to  attack 
Sheridan  the  next  day.  His  forces  moved  on  two  dif- 
ferent roads  with  that  purpose,  Anderson  on  one  road 
and  Early  on  the  other.  The  latter  attacked  the  Sixth 
Corps  which  at  first  gave  ground,  but  afterward  regained 
it  at  night  fall,  with  a loss  on  our  side  of  260  killed  and 
wounded.  The  other  corps  were  formed  in  line  ready 


172 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


for  battle,  but  Anderson  not  getting  up,  the  fight  was 
soon  over,  Early  concluding  to  draw  off,  for  the  present 
at  least.  That  night  Sheridan  desiring  to  act  on  the 
defensive  for  the  present,  also  to  have  a better  position 
and  to  bide  his  time  which  was  surely  coming  when  the 
clouds  of  disappointment  and  doubt  which  had  hung  over 
this  field  too  long  should  be  rifted,  and  the  sun  of  success 
and  bright  promise  shine  through,  fell  back  to  Halltown 
forming  line  from  the  Shenandoah  on  the  left  to  the 
Potomac  on  the  right.  We  made  breast  works  of  fence 
rails,  railroad  ties  and  so  forth  the  next  day.  In  the 
meantime  there  was  considerable  skirmishing  and  some 
cannonading  between  the  opposing  forces,  the  enemy 
having  followed  us  up. 

(504)  Early  demonstrated  against  us  for  three  days, 
when  the  25th,  a large  part  of  his  infantry  marched  to 
Shepherdstown  on  the  Potomac,  and  a considerable  body 
of  his  cavalry  to  Williamsport.  Our  forces  captured  a 
few  prisoners  in  our  front  today.  The  next  day  the 
Twelfth  went  on  the  skirmish  line.  And  two  brigades 
of  the  First  Division  and  one  of  the  Second,  Crooks,  com- 
mand, Lowell’s  cavalry  co-operating,  went  to  our  front 
to  reconnoitre.  They  broke  the  Rebel  skirmish  line  burnt 
some  stacks  from  behind  which  the  Rebels  had  skir- 
mished, and  drove  two  brigades  from  their  breast  works, 
our  loss  being  141  killed  and  wounded.  That  night, 
Anderson,  who  had  been  left  in  command  here,  while 
Early  had  moved  to  Shepherdstown  and  Williamsport, 
not  having  sufficient  force  to  hold  his  ground,  fell  back 
to  Stephensons  Depot,  five  miles  east  of  Winchester. 

(505)  Sheridan’s  force  did  not  move  for  two  days 
when  the  28th,  the  army  marched  to  Charlestown.  The 
next  day  from  the  position  of  the  infantry  could  be 
heard  cannonading  all  day.  This  resulted  from  the  Rebel 
infantry’s  drving  Merritt’s  cavalry  from  Smithfield,  some 
six  miles  west  of  Charlestown,  which  former  town  was 
then  occupied  by  the  enemy’s  cavalry  and  from  further 


173 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


fighting  when  later  Ricketts’  division  of  the  Sixth  Corps 
drove  the  enemy’s  cavalry  out  and  Merritt  reoccupied  the 
town.  Along  about  this  time  the  soldiers  in  camp  ate, 
slept,  wrote  letters  and  did  whatever  else  they  had  to  do 
within  the  almost  constant  sound  of  cannon  or  musketry. 

(506)  The  main  portion  of  the  army  remained  near 
Charlestown  for  the  next  five  days.  During  this  time  the 
Twelfth  was  paid  six  months  pay.  And  now  our  sutter 
reappeared  upon  the  scene.  It  was  a good  time  for  him 
to  be  on  hand;  for  now,  was  his  harvest  season.  At 
the  end  of  five  days  or  on  the  morning  of  the  3rd  of 
September,  Sheridan  desiring  to  extend  his  lines  to  Berry- 
ville,  ordered  the  Eighth  Corps  to  that  place.  We  ar- 
rived there  in  the  evening,  and  the  boys  immediately 
began  making  coffee  but  they  had  hardly  more  than 
begun  to  do  so,  when  there  was  a few  musket  shots  to 
our  front  toward  Winchester.  Right  away  the  boys  of 
the  Twelfth  began  to  discuss  the  matter  of  what  the 
probable  cause  of  the  firing  was.  Some  saying  that 
they  thought  the  butchers  were  killing  beeves ; others 
were  doubtful  about  it  but  soon,  the  shots  increasing  in 
frequency,  they  were  about  making  up  their  minds  that 
a fight  was  on  hand  when  Col.  Ely  commanding  the 
brigade  hastily  gave  the  order:  “Fall  in,  fall  in!’’  and 
soon  Crook's  command  was  in  line  to  the  right  and  left 
o fthe  Berryville  pike  to  meet  the  enemy  which  was  there 
in  considerable  force. 

(507)  The  firing  first  heard  was  caused  by  an  attack 
upon  the  First  Virginia,  which  had  ony  been  put  on 
picket  about  a half  hour  before,  on  the  Berryville  pike. 
The  fight  lasted  till  after  dark.  We  held  our  ground  on 
the  night,  while  Duval’s  division  on  the  left  drove  the 
enemy  capturing  about  60  prisoners.  Crook’s  loss  in  this 
affair  was  166.  While  the  fighting  was  going  on 
wagons  were  heard  driving  rapidly  down  the  Valley  on 
the  road  crossing  the  Berryville  pike  just  to  our  rear. 
These  belonged  to  a force  of  our  cavalry  that  had  been 


174 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


on  a reconnoisance  up  the  Valley.  After  dark  the  Rebels 
threw  some  shells  over  our  heads  which  seemed  to  fall 
pretty  close  to  the  passing  wagon  train.  The  next  day 
some  of  the  cavalry  said  that  we  of  the  infantry  had 
saved  them  from  being  cut  off  in  their  return  down  the 
Valley,  for  the  Rebels  would  have  had  to  go  only  a 
short  distance  until  they  would  have  been  across  the 
cavalrymen’s  road.  Crook’s  command  held  its  position 
till  near  morning  when  it  drew  back  toward  Charles- 
town -about  two  miles.  And  Sheridan’s  whole  force 
began  to  intrench. 

(508)  Just  why  this  fight  at  Berryville  took  place,  so 
far  as  the  purpose  and  movement  of  the  enemy  brought 
it  on,  was  not  at  the  time  understood  among  our  men. 
The  impression  seemed  to  be  that  Crook’s  force  was 
there  to  hold  the  Berryville  pike,  while  the  cavalry  were 
making  a reconnoisance  up  the  Valley  and  the  Rebels 
moving  on  that  road  with  the  purpose  of  cutting  off  their 
return  had  encountered  us,  and  that  was  the  reason,  it 
was  thought  the  fight  took  place.  But  the  fact  is  the 
fight  resulted,  so  far  as  the  enemy  was  responsible,  from 
a part  of  his  force  in  the  Valley  having  started  on  that 
evening  on  the  return  to  Richmond  by  way  of  Berryville. 
Something  over  two  weeks  before  this  Early  received,  as 
before  stated,  reinforcements  from  Lee,  consisting  mainly 
of  Anderson’s  division  of  Longstreet’s  corps,  which 
corps  was  now  commanded  by  Anderson,  who  had  come 
into  the  Valley  with  the  division.  Lee  being  hard  pressed 
by  Grant  at  this  time  had  called  for  the  return  of  these 
troops,  and  it  was  they  whom  Crook  had  encountered  that 
evening.  The  fight  was  a mutual  surprise.  Crooks  men 
were  getting  supper  when  the  enemy  attacked  the  First 
Virginia  on  picket  sending  them  back  precipitately;  thus 
bringing  on  the  fight.  This  unexpected  engagement  de- 
layed the  departure  of  this  Rebel  force  for  some  days. 

(509)  After  the  Berryville  battle  there  was  no  general 
movement  of  the  LTnion  forces  for  more  than  two  week-,. 


175 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


On  the  8th,  however,  Crooks’  corps  was  moved  from  its 
position  on  the  left  of  the  lines  to  Summit  Point  on  the 
right.  The  status  of  things  on  our  side  was  maintained 
in  the  main,  for  the  next  ten  days.  Maj.  Brown,  who 
was  captured  about  seven  weeks  before  at  Winchester, 
and  haa  escaped  from  the  Rebels  at  Harrisburg, 
returned  to  the  Twelfth  from  home  on  the  10th. 

((510)  On  the  13th,  Gen.  McIntosh  of  Wilson’s 
division  of  cavalry  reconnoitering  on  the  Berryville  road 
in  the  direction  of  Winchester,  captured  a South  Caro- 
lina regiment  of  infantry,  the  whole  of  it,  however,  being 
only  a little  over  100  men  and  30  other  prisoners.  The 
news  of  the  capture  spread  through  the  camp  and  had 
an  inspiriting  effect,  no  doubt  upon  the  army;  and  per- 
haps was  regarded  as  presaging  further  victory. 

(511)  There  having  been  of  late  great  urgency  to 
have  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  opened,  and  a 
pressure  generally  to  have  the  people  north  of  the  Po- 
tomac freed  from  the  menmace  of  Early’s  army.  Gen. 
Grant  paid  Sheridan  a visit  on  the  16th  to  talk  over  the 
situation  and  see  what  should  be  done.  Just  two  days 
before  this,  Anderson’s  division  had  again  started  to 
return  to  Richmond ; this  time  moving  through  Chester 
Gap  farth  south,  and  thus  the  condition,  the  withdrawal 
of  a part  of  Early’s  force,  that  Grant  and  Sheridan  had 
been  waiting  for,  had  come  about.  So  when  Grant  asked 
Sheridan  on  that  Friday  if  he  could  be  ready  to  attack 
Early  on  the  next  Tuesday  he  did  not  want,  like  Mc- 
Clellan, to  delay  awaiting  reinforcements,  or  plead  lack  of 
means  of  transportation  or  supplies,  or  some  other  dif- 
ficulty, but  he  answered  like  a man  who  meant  business, 
that  he  could  be  ready  the  following  Monday ; thus  show- 
ing so  far  as  this  instance  would  indicate,  not  that  “There 
is  luck  in  leisure,”  but  rather  that  there  is  a bright 
promise  in  promptitude.  For  by  attacking  on  Monday 
he  took  the  enemy  somewhat  at  a disadvantage,  his 
forces  then  being  scattered  along  the  Martinsburg  pike, 


176 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


thus  rendering  victory  certain  for  Sheridan,  while  if  the 
attack  had  been  delayed  till  Tuesday  Early’s  forces  would 
have  been  concentrated,  they  being  on  the  move  on 
■Monday  for  that  purpose,  and  the  result  of  the  battle 
might  have  been  otherwise. 

(512)  Sheridan  having  decided  to  attack  Early  on  the 
memorable  19th  of  September,  had  sent  his  unnecessary 
trains  and  the  sutlers  to  the  rear  the  day  before;  and 
accordingly  on  the  eventful  Monday  he  moved  to  the 
attack  before  day.  Our  brigade  consisting  at  this  time 
of  the  First,  Fourth  and  Twelfth  West  Virginia  Infan- 
try, then  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Col.  Northcott 
marched  at  5 o’clock  P.  M.,  the  body  of  the  troops  having 
started  earlier.  The  serious  character  of  the  work  that 
the  men  _of  the  Twelfth  believed  to  be  before  them  had 
a sobering  effect  upon  them ; but  they  marched  bravely 
forward  that  morning  willing  to  do  their  part  in  the  com- 
ing struggle.  Nearing  the  Berry  ville  ford  of  the 
Opeguon,  over  which  all  the  infantry  had  to  pass,  and 
between  which  and  Winchester,  five  miles  distant,  the 
battle  was  fought,  we  heard  heavy  skirmishing.  The 
battle  was  opening.  The  Twelfth  and  in  fact  our  whole 
brigade,  was  lucky  that  day,  if  it  may  be  regarded  as 
fortunate  to  escape  the  chance  of  being  killed  or  wounded. 
And  it  may  be  said,  the  regiment  was  rather  favored  by 
fortune  in  this  regard  from  this  time  to  the  end  of  our 
service. 

(513)  When  we  reached  the  ford  to  our  not  very  sor- 
rowful surprise — for  the  boys  had  got  over  being  eager 
for  a fight — it  was  announced  to  us  that  our  brigade  was 
detached  to  guard  the  wagon  train  and  field  hospital  to 
be  established  at  that  point.  Lieut.  Col.  Northcott  was 
mortified  and  vexed  that  his  brigade  should  be  left  out 
of  the  fight,  and  he  inquired  of  Col.  Thoburn,  command- 
ing the  division,  the  reason  of  it.  Thoburn  answered 
that  he,  Thoburn,  had  no  choice  in  the  matter,  his  orders 
being  to  detach  his  smallest  brigade  to  be  left  as  a 


177 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


guard  at  the  ford.  And  thus  we  were  left  out  of  the 
battle.  However,  it  is  not  always  safe  to  be  in  the  rear, 
as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  Sheridan  intended  to  attack 
Early  in  the  rear  that  morning,  but  changed  his  plan 
when  he  learned  that  the  enemy’s  forces  were  then  strung 
along  the  Martinsburg  pike.  As  it  was,  we  had  to  be  on 
the  alert,  for  there  were  guerrillas  hovering  about  us 
ready  to  pounce  on  any  small  squad  that  might  become 
detached  from  the  command. 

(514)  It  was  nearly  noon  before  the  battle,  because 
general,  and  for  four  or  five  hours  thereafter  we  could 
see,  from  our  position  at  the  ford,  the  smoke  of  the  con- 
flict rolling  up  beyond  the  woods  in  our  front,  and  hear 
the  roar  of  the  battle.  There  we  stayed  and  during  all 
this  time  we  were  unable  to  determine  from  the  sound 
how  the  battle  was  going.  In  the  meantime  the  men 
and  officers  were  debating  as  to  the  probable  result.  Adjt. 
Caldwell  of  the  Twelfth  saying  that  Sheridan  had  about 
40,000  men  and  the  enemy  presumiably  not  so  many, 
thought  that  we  would  win  the  day.  At  length  toward 
evening  the  Eighth  Corps  (ours)  struck  the  enemy  on 
their  left  flank  and  soon  their  rout  became  general.  They 
were  sent  through  Winchester  on  the  run.  And  the  news 
of  our  victory  soon  reached  us  at  the  ford. 

(515)  This  was  a bloody  battle.  The  total  Union  lost 
being  about  5,000,  there  being  4,300  killed  and  wounded. 
The  total  Rebel  loss  from  the  best  obtainable  data  was 
about  4,000.  Of  this  number  about  2,000  were  prisoners. 
If  the  data  are  correct,  there  was  a great  disparity  in  the 
losses  of  the  two  armies  in  killed  and  wounded.  Early’s, 
losses  in  these  lists  being  less  than  half  of  Sheridan’s.  This 
fact  may  be  explained  by  reason  of  the  enemy’s  having 
the  protection  of  trees,  rocks  and  other  shelter  during 
most  of  the  battle.  Besides  the  prisoners,  Sheridan  cap- 
tured five  pieces  of  artillery  and  seven  battle  flags. 

(516)  At  the  time  of  this  battle  of  Winchester  or  the 
Opeguon,  Sheridan  had  in  the  Valley  an  army  of  4,300 


178 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


men,  in  round  numbers ; while  according  to  Pond’s  Shen- 
andoah Valley,”  the  Rebel  records  show  Early’s  force 
in  that  battle  to  be  less  than  half  that  number.  How- 
ever, there  are  some  facts  which  point  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  Rebel  force  was  under  estimated.  Grant  puts 
Early's  strength  at  the  time  Sheridan  was  put  in  command 
of  the  Union  forces  in  the  Valley,  August  7th  at  about 
30,000 ; and  he  was  somewhat  stronger  at  the  time  of  the 
battle  with  Anderson's  division  absent,  than  he  was  at 
the  date  to  which  Grant  refers.  Greely  says  in  his  Ameri- 
can Conflict  that,  in  a newspaper  controversy  between 
Sheridan  and  Early  in  1865,  Sheridan  stated  “that  the 
prisoners  taken  by  him  from  Early  (during  the  Valley 
campaign)  exceeded  the  number  to  which  that  general 
limited  his  entire  command.” 

(517)  Sheridan  was  a dashing,  rushing  and  seemingly 
reckless  kind  of  man,  with  no  pretense  of  pomp  or  polish. 
So  when  he  sent  his  dispatch  to  Washington  announcing 
his  victory,  he  did  not  say  “Winchester  is  ours  and  fairly 
won,”  as  the  illustrious  Gen.  Sherman  would  perhaps  have 
said,  or  that  “Victory  had  perched  upon  our  banners  and 
zee  have  sent  the  traitor  hosts  vanquished  and  vanquish- 
ing up  the  Valley,”  or  anything  of  the  kind ; but  he  simply 
said:  “We  have  just  sent  them  whirling  through  Win- 
chester.” The  following  dispatch  was  received  by  Sheri- 
dan : 

(518)  “Have  just  heard  of  your  great  victory.  God 

bless  you  all,  officers  and  men.  Strongly  inclined  to  come 
up  and  see  you.  A.  LINCOLN.” 

(519)  Here  is  a characteristic  incident  showing  some- 
what the  style  of  man  Sheridan  was : In  his  first  move- 
ment up  the  Valley  in  August,  when  we  had  reached 
Cedar  Creek  where  the  enemy  was,  the  First  and  Twelfth, 
it  will  be  recollected,  were  ordered  to  charge  some  Rebel 
skirmishers,  one  company  of  the  Twelfth  having  prev- 
iously been  put  upon  our  skirmish  line.  Just  as  the  two 
regiments  were  in  the  act  of  charging,  Sheridan  and 


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Crook,  passing  from  the  right  to  the  left  along  the  skir- 
mish line  to  take  in  the  situation,  had  come  opposite  the 
charging  troops ; when  Crook  seemed  inclined  to  stop  and 
watch  the  result.  Sheridan,  however,  appeared  to  be  in 
a hurry,  wanting  to  pass  on ; so  he  said : “Come  on 
Crook,  never  mind,  they’ll  give  them  h — 11.”  Perhaps 
because  of  the  character  of  Sheridan  as  indicated  by  this 
incident,  and  as  shown  by  his  dispatch  to  Washington 
as  given,  and  the  observations  in  connection  therewith, 
he  was  popular  with  the  soldiers.  But  by,  more  than  all 
else  in  goining  the  victory  at  the  Opeguon  he  gained 
their  abiding  confidence  and  admiration ; which  fact  gave 
promise  of  future  victory. 

(520)  The  Twelfth  with  its  brigade  remained  at  the 
Berryville  ford  till  the  22nd,  when  we  marched,  follow- 
ing the  army  up  the  Valley.  We  passed  through  Win- 
chester. From  there  we  guarded  a wagon  train  of 
supplies  up  to  Cedar  Creek  reaching  there  about  sun 
down,  just  as  our  army  was  driving  Early’s  from 
Fisher’s  Hill,  in  sight  from  the  creek.  Sheridan  employed 
the  same  tactics  in  this  battle  that  he  did  in  the  battle  of 
the  Opequon,  sending  Crooks,  (the  Eighth)  Corps  to 
attack  the  enemy  on  on  the  flank.  Sheridan’s  loss  in 
this  battle  was  only  about  400 ; while  Early’s  was  be- 
tween 1,300  and  1,400  mostly  prisoners.  This  time  the 
enemy’s  loss  was  much  the  heavier  making  the  losses  in 
each  army  in  the  two  battles  about  5,400.  Sheridan 
captured  16  cannons  at  Fisher’s  Hill. 

(521)  After  Early’s  rout  his  army  retreated  up  the 
Valley,  followed  by  Sheridan’s  after  night  for  12  miles 
to  Woodstock.  It  was  perhaps  an  unprecedented  thing 
in  the  annals  of  the  war  for  one  army  to  follow  another 
opposing  army  after  dark  on  the  same  road,  as  was  done 
in  this  instance.  Our  men  had  been  dropping  out  of 
ranks  all  along  the  road  to  rest  or  sleep;  and  as  the 
Twelfth  passed  along,  it  looked  as  though  there  was  a 
string  of  those  dropped  out  soldiers  all  along  the  12 


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miles  from  Strasburg  to  Woodstock.  When  our  regi- 
ment reached  this  latter  town  there  was  not  more  than 
the  equal  of  a company  left  in  the  ranks,  the  most  of 
the  Twelfth  having  fallen  out  of  ranks  too.  Those  of  the 
regiment  remaining  in  ranks,  marched  35  miles  that  day 
and  night.  The  Rebels  were  followed  so  sharply,  that 
many  of  them  to  escape  took  to  the  mountains.  It 
was  said^also  that,  in  this  right  pursuit  of  the  enemy, 
in  some  instances,  a Union  soldier  becoming  tired  and 
sleepy  and  seeing  some  one  lying  by  the  road  side,  would 
stop  there  for  company;  and  in  the  morning  he  would 
discover  a Johnny  by  his  side,  who  of  course,  would  be 
made  a prisoner. 

(522)  The  Twelfth  remained  at  Woodstock  one  day 
with  its  corps,  then  pushing  on  after  the  bulk  of  the 
army  to  Harrisonburg,  about  25  miles  from  Staunton, 
arrived  there  the  25th,  the  cavalry  going  as  far  as  Staun- 
ton and  Waynesboro  destroying  arms,  ammunition  and 
so  forth  at  the  latter  place,  and  in  accordance  with 
Grant’s  orders  all  the  mills,  barns  and  stacks  of  hay  and 
grain  were  burned,  and  the  stock  driven  off  in  the  Valley 
from  Staunton  down  to  Harrisonburg.  The  Sixth 
Corps  and  Nineteenth  marched  up  to  Mount  Crawford 
on  the  29th,  and  back  to  Harrisonburg  the  next  day  in 
support  of  the  burning  operations. 

(523)  The  army  remained  at  Harrisonburg  till 
October  the  6th ; when  the  whole  force  marched  down 
the  Valley,  arriving  at  Strasburg  the  8th.  All  the  way 
down  to  this  place  as  we  marched,  the  smoke  could  be 
seen  rolling  up  behind  us  from  the  burning  barns,  mills 
and  so  forth.  It  was  said  that  in  many  instances,  in 
burning  barns,  reports  of  fire  arms  hidden  in  them  and 
discharged  by  the  heat  were  heard.  Early  reinforced  by 
Anderson’s  division  and  Rosser’s  cavalry  followed  us 
down  the  Valley  to  Strasburg.  The  cavalry  styled  them- 
selves the  Saviors  of  the  Valley,  and  were  particularly 
aggressive.  Sheridan  got  tired  of  their  annoyance  and 


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HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


determined  to  dispose  of  these  new  found  “Saviors  of  the 
Valley.”  He  directed  Torbet  accordingly  to  start  out  at 
daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  and  “whip  the  Rebel 
cavalry  or  get  whipped  himself.”  Our  cavalry  promptly 
to  time  attacked  Lomax’s  cavalry  on  the  pike  and  Rosser’s 
on  the  back  road  and  after  a fight  of  about  two  hours 
routed  them  on  both  roads,  capturing  about  330  prisoners, 
11  guns — all  they  had  but  one — and  47  wagons — -“every- 
thing on  wheels.”  The  Rebels  were  run  about  *2  6 miles 
up  the  Valley  on  the  jump.  After  the  battle  for  the  rest 
of  the  day,  about  all  the  saving  the  Johnnys  wanted  to 
do  was  to  “save  their  bacon.”  Sheridan  was  very 
enthusiastic  over  this  victory  offering,  it  is  said,  $50  for 
the  other  piece  of  artillery. 

(524)  The  second  day  after  this  battle  of  Tom’s 
Brook,  as  it  is  called,  the  11th,  our  brigade  started  from 
Cedar  Creek  for  Martinsburg  as  a guard,  with  a wagon 
train  and  the  captured  property.  Near  Newton,  which 
is  about  eight  miles  from  Cedar  Creek,  we  met  two  or 
three  cavalrymen  coming  at  a headlong  rate.  They  be- 
longed to  a party  of  25  that  had  been  guarding  an  ambu- 
lance conveying  some  officers  and  mail  matters,  which 
had  just  been  attacked  a little  farther  on  by  Mosby.  This 
was  a very  bloody  affair  with  our  men  nearly  half  of 
them  being  killed  or  wounded.  Lieut.  Col.  Northcott 
stopped  the  command,  and  scoured  the  woods  nearby,  to 
see  if  there  were  any  Rebels  about;  but  it  was  too  late. 
Mosby  had  got  off  with  nearly  all  the  unwounded  and 
the  ambulance.  We  camped  that  night  at  Winchester 
where  we  met  Col.  Curtis  returning  from  a leave  of 
absence,  who  now  took  command  of  the  brigade.  The 
next  morning  we  marched  for  Martinsburg  arriving  there 
after  dark. 

(525)  We  remained  at  Martinsburg  two  days.  Dur- 
ing this  time  Mosby  captured  a train  of  cars  at  Kearny- 
ville,  a town  between  former  town  and  Harpers  Ferry. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  15th,  we  started  to  the  front 


182 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


again  with  a wagon  train  arriving  at  Winchester  the 
next  day,  at  which  place  we  were  told  to  pitch  our  tents, 
as  we  were  likely  to  remain  there  for  a few  days.  Ac- 
cordinglv  the  tents  were  put  up. 

(526)  As  before  stated  Early  had  followed  Sheridan 
down  the  Valley  from  Staunton  to  Strasburg;  but  it 
was  only  the  cavalry  that  came  all  the  way,  his  infantry 
having  halted  at  New  Market.  Sheridan  believed  the 
enemy  would  not  again  attempt  to  come  down  in  force  and 
therefore  he  had  ordered  the  Sixth  Corps  to  return  to 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  accordance  with  Grant’s 
desire  to  have  a part  of  the  Valley  force  sent  to  him  as 
soon  as  it  could  be  spared.  This  corps  had  started  to 
return  about  the  time  we  had  left  Cedar  Creek  for  Mar- 
tinsburg.  But  there  was  an  unexpected  turn  in  affairs. 
Early  on  the  13th  had  arrived  with  his  whole  army  at 
Fisher's  Hill,  and  without  halting  sent  a reconnoitering 
force  to  Cedar  Creek,  which  threw  some  shells  into  Tho- 
burn’s  camp  while  the  men  were  at  dinner.  Thoburn's 
men  were  almost  as  much  surprised  as  if  the  shells  had 
dropped  from  the  clouds ; for  a reconnoitering  party 
had  been  up  the  Valley  the  day  before,  ten  or  twelve 
miles,  and  reported  that  no  enemy  had  been  sen.  Tho- 
burn's division  was  soon  formd,  and  he  undertook  to 
capture  the  Rebel  artillery,  the  command  crossing  the 
creek  to  attack  it  but,  the  enemy  being  in  strong  force 
he  failed.  Thoburn’s  loss  in  this  engagement  was  200 
or  300.  The  gallant  Col.  Wells  of  the  Thirty-fourth 
Massachusetts  was  killed  in  this  fight.  After  Early’s 
demonstration  in  Sheridan's  front,  the  Sixth  Corps  on 
its  way  to  Grant  by  way  of  Washington,  having  got  as 
far  as  the  Shenandoah  beyond  Front  Royal,  was  ordered 
back,  arriving  at  Cedar  Creek,  the  14th. 

(527)  The  next  day  Sheridan  received  a message  con- 
cerning the  desired  destruction  of  the  Virginia  Central 
railroad  from  Grant  about  which  he,  Grant,  had  been 
anxious  for  some  time,  and  accordingly  Merritt’s  division 


183 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


of  cavalry  was  sent  that  night  as  far  as  Front  Royal  with 
the  intention  of  reinforcing  it  by  another  division,  the 
design  being  to  employ  these  troops  to  break  the  road  just 
referred  to  and  also  the  James  River  Canal  or  at  least 
to  threaten  them.  Sheridan  went  with  the  cavalry  to 
Front  Royal,  being  on  his  way  to  Washington,  going 
there  at  the  urgent  request  of  the  authorities  at  the 
capitol  to  have  a conference  with  them.  But  just  before 
leaving  Front  Royal  for  Washington  he  received  the 
following  dispatch  from  Wright,  copied  from  the  Rebel 
signal  flag  on  Massanutten  Mountain  in  sight  of  our 
camp : 

“To  Lieutenant  General  Early. 

Be  ready  to  move  as  soon  as  my  forces  join  you, 
and  we  will  crush  Sheridan. 

Longstreet,  Lieutenant  General.’’ 

(528)  Sheridan  suspected  this  to  be  a trick  of  the 
enemy,  which  it  was,  but  in  order  to  be  on  the  safe  side, 
he  ordered  the  cavalry  back  to  Cedar  Creek.  In  this 
instance  the  enemy  in  his  strategy  over-reached  himself, 
and  three  days  later  on  account  of  this  trick,  he  had  to 
fight  two  more  divisions  of  cavalry  than  he  would  other- 
wise have  had  to  do.  Sheridan  continued  his  journey 
from  Front  Royal  to  Washington,  stopping  on  the  way 
som  hours  at  Rectortown  to  telegraph  to  and  and  get 
an  answer  from  Halleck  as  to  whether  he  had  any 
information  that  Longstreet  was  or  was  not  moving  as 
indicated  by  the  Rebel  dispatch.  Finally  Halleck,  after 
communicating  with  Grant  at  City  Point  answered : 
“General  Grant  says  that  Longstreet  brought  no  troops 
with  him  from  Richmond,”  adding  some  less  important 
intelligence.  After  getting  the  telegram  from  Halleck 
Sheridan  again  pushed  on  toward  the  capitol. 

(529)  Coming  back  to  our  brigade  with  the  wagon 
train  at  Winchester,  we  remained  there  just  two  days, 
when  by  orders  we  were  to  guard  the  train  on  up  to 


184 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


Cedar  Creek,  to  start  on  the  memorable  morning  of  the 
19th  of  October,  1864.  The  soldiers  generally  of  Sheri- 
dan’s army  by  this  time  had  settled  down  to  the  con- 
viction that  the  campaign  of  severe  fighting  was  ended 
in  the  Valley  for  that  year.  And  we  at  Winchester  were 
at  that  time  ignorant  of  the  changed  condition  of  things 
at  the  front ; so  we  lay  down  to  sleep  the  night  before  we 
were  to  start  for  Cedar  Creek,  little  dreaming  of  what 
was  in  store  for  our  army  there,  or  of  the  pregnant  events 
of  the  coming  day.  But  the  dawn  of  another  day  has 
come,  and  hark ! what  thunderous  sound  from  the  south 
is  that?  “’Tis  the  cannons  opening  roar.”  The  fair 
Valley  is  to  be  the  scene  of  another  day  of  blood  and 
carnage ; the  last  battle  for  its  possession. 

(530)  Notwithstanding  there  was  fighting  going  on 
at  the  front  we  started  for  Cedar  Creek  some  15  miles 
distant  but  we  had  not  gone  far  when  we  met,  at  about 
9 o’clock  some  stragglers  and  wagon  trains  retreating 
from  Cedar  Creek.  Col.  Curtis  then  ordered  his  train 
to  be  parked.  And  now  there  was  about  to  take  place 
one  of  the  most  marked  extraordinary  and  dramatic  inci- 
dents or  events,  taken  in  connection  with  the  outcome  of 
it,  in  the  annals  of  our  country.  Indeed  it  may  be  said 
it  is  imparalleled  in  the  history  of  American  warfare.  It 
was  Sheridan’s  Ride  from  Winchester  to  the  army  in 
front  “to  save  the  day.”  He  rode  up  the  pike  past  our 
brigade  on  his  famous  black  horse  at  a brisk  trot  with  a 
small  escort  following,  at  or  soon  after  9 o’clock  in  the 
forenoon,  and  every  soldier  of  the  brigade  had  a chance 
to  witness  the  immortal  scene. 

(531)  When  the  stragglers  were  met,  Col.  Curtis 
threw  a line  of  men  across  the  road  to  stop  them,  and 
put  them  under  guard.  There  have  been  statements  say- 
ing, or  leaving  the  impression,  that  the  number  of 
stragglers  getting'  back  to  or  near  Winchester  was  quite 
large,  but  as  well  as  is  remembered,  there  were  not 
more  than  100  or  200  of  them.  Col.  Curtis  says  that 


185 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


when  Sheridan  passing  to  the  front  came  to  where  our 
brigade  was  noticed  the  demoralized  stragglers,  he  rode 
up  to  them,  and  standing  straight  in  his  stirrups  and 
gritting  his  teeth  as  he  looked  at  them,  shouted  at  the  top 
of  his  voice : “Boys  if  you  don’t  want  to  fight  yourselves, 
come  back  and  look  at  others  fighting.  We  will  whip 
them  out  of  their  boots  before  4 o’clock.  ” He  then 
ordered  Col.  Curtis  to  organize  the  stragglers  into  a 
battalion  put  officers  in  command  of  them  and  move  im- 
mediately to  the  front  with  his  entire  force.  This  the 
Colonel  proceeded  to  do,  bringing  up  his  wagon  train. 
He  had  gone  but  a short  distance,  however,  when  he 
received  another  order  from  Sheridan  to  return  to  Win- 
chester and  protect  that  place  from  an  apprehended  attack 
by  Rebel  cavalry.  Accordingly  the  command  returned 
with  the  train  to  the  town. 

(532)  Our  army  at  Cedar  Creek  had  met  with  a sur- 
prise attack  mainly  against  its  left  flank.  The  Eighth 
Corps  (Crook’s)  being  farthest  to  the  front  and  left,  was 
struck  first,  just  at  break  of  dawn,  before  the  men  were 
all  out  of  their  tents,  and  being  attacked  almost  simul- 
taneously in  front,,  flank  and  rear  it  was  soon  routed 
losing  heavily  in  killed  and  wounded  and  prisoners,  the 
loss  in  prisoners  being  quite  large.  Our  army  was  forced 
back  by  the  suddenness  and  vigor  of  the  Rebel  attack  and 
principally  by  the  necessity  of  having  to  give  ground,  in 
order  to  clear  its  flanks  about  four  miles  from  Crook’s 
camp  by  11  o’clock  A.  M.  It  gave  no  further  ground. 
And  it  appears  that  from  about  9 o’clock  it  being  that 
time  before  all  our  previously  unengaged  infantry  had 
been  engaged,  the  attacks  of  the  enemy  were  feeble.  This 
fact  may  be  explained  by  the  reason  that  they  had  been 
marching  and  fighting  from  near  midnight,  and  because 
many  of  them  had  fallen  out  of  ranks  it  seems,  to  plunder 
our  camps.  When  Sheridan  came  up  at  about  half  past 
eleven  A.  M.,  the  only  parts  of  our  force  engaged  were 
one  division  of  the  Sixth  Corps  and  the  cavalry,  and 


186 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


they  not  heavily.  There  was  a lull  before  the  counter- 
storm. 

(533)  Sheridan  came  upon  the  field  about  half  past 
eleven  o’clock  A.  M.  As  he  was  approaching  our  army, 
tremendous  cheers  were  heard  in  the  rear.  The  cheering 
cam  from  th  stragglers  that,  though  there  were  not  many 
of  them  far  in  the  rear,  were  two  or  more  thousand  in 
number,  from  all  the  corps  a mile  or  two  in  the  rear. 
They  were  cheering  the  returning  commander.  And 
one  of  the  singular  and  surprising  incidents  of  this 
remarkable  battle  was  that  the  stream  of  these  stragglers 
now  turned  toward  the  front.  It  is  not  probable  that 
any  other  commander  in  the  Union  army  could  have 
inspired  so  telling  moral  effect.  When  Sheridan  reached 
the  line  of  battle  along  which  he  rode  swinging  his  hat, 
he  was  hailed  by  the  men  with  throwing  their  hats  and 
tempestuous  cheering.  While  his  arrival  had  an  encour- 
aging effect  on  our  men,  it  would  ten  no  doubt  to  have  a 
discouraging  effect  on  the  enemy,  causing  them  to  think 
that  our  army  was  getting  reinforcements  it  may  be. 

(534)  Just  before  Sheridan  came  upon  the  field,  the 
Rebels  had  been  repulsed  in  an  attack  upon  our  left  made 
to  seize  the  pike.  As  soon  as  he  observed  the  situation 
he  resolved  to  drive  the  enemy  from  the  field ; and  he 
rode  along  the  lines  telling  the  men  that  they  would  sleep 
in  their  old  quarters  that  night.  He  at  once  set  about 
reforming  his  lines  and  strengthening  his  left.  At  about 
1 o’clock  P.  M.,  Early  made  an  attack  upon  our  left,  but 
it  was  easily  repulsed.  Three  hours  later  our  lines  being 
formed  mainly  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  pike  and  at 
right  angle  to  it,  Sheridan  ordered  an  advance  upon  the 
enemy  by  a left  half-wheel  which  was  gallantly  responded 
to  by  the  whole  line.  The  left  of  the  enemy  gave  way 
first ; the  rest  of  their  line  did  not  stand  long,  and  soon 
their  whole  force  was  a flying  mob.  Our  army  pursued 
the  routed  Rebels  capturing  1,200  prisoners,  24  guns, 
and  much  other  property,  besides  retaking  24  guns  lost 


187 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


in  the  morning.  The  field  was  won ; the  day  was  saved ; 
our  army  had  retaken  its  old  camps ; Sheridan  had  made 
good  his  promise  that  the  men  should  sleep  in  their  old 
quarters  that  night,  and  thus  was  made  the  single  instance 
in  our  history  as  a people  of  an  army  being  thoroughly 
worsted  in  the  morning,  gaining  a signal  victory  in  the 
afternoon.  Sheridan  will  go  down  to  history  as  a unique 
and  illustrious  warrior. 

(535)  Our  loss  in  men  in  this  battle  of  Cedar  Creek 
was  5,764  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  1,429  being 
prisoners.  Col.  Thoburn  of  the  First  Virginia  Infantry 
commanding  a division,  a gallant  and  highly  esteemed 
officer,  and  Capt.  Philip  G.  Bier  were  among  the  officers 
killed  in  this  battle.  This  latter  officer  was  enlisted  by 
Col.  Curtis  as  a private  in  Company  D,  of  the  Twelfth 
and  appointed  Orderly  Sergeant  of  the  company,  January 
17th,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant  and 
assigned  to  Company  A.  On  the  recommendation  of 
Gen.  Sullivan  and  others  he  was,  in  January,  1864.  com- 
missioned as  a Captain  and  A.  A.  G.,  and  assigned  to 
duty  on  Gen.  Hunter’s  staff.  He  remained  on  his  staff 
during  the  Hunter  raid  against  Lynchburg  and  until  Hum 
ter  was  relieved  ; when  he  was  transferred  to  Gen.  Crook’s 
staff.  Acting  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  in  trying,  dur- 
ing the  battle  to  save  the  wagon  and  ambulance  trains,  he 
was  mortally  wounded,  and  died  the  following  night. 
The  officers  of  the  Twelfth,  for  the  high  regard  which 
they  had  for  their  gallant  dead  comrade,  had  his  body 
embalmed  and  sent  to  Wheeling  where  it  was  buried. 

(536)  According  to  Early’s  account  of  his  loss  in  this 
battle  was  1,860  in  killed  and  wounded.  Our  army  cap- 
tured 1,200  prisoners.  If  his  account  of  his  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded  is  correct  his  total  loss  was  3,060.  Assum- 
ing that  Early’s  statement  of  his  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded  is  correct,  our  loss  in  this  battle  was  almost 
double  that  of  the  enemy.  This  could  reasonably  be 


188 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  our  army  had  been  sur- 
prised and  taken  at  great  disadvantage. 

(537)  This  battle  of  Cedar  Creek  shows,  in  matter 
of  moment,  how  important  it  is  that  the  first  step,  the 
initial  movement  should  be  sure  and  right.  When  Sheri- 
dan was  put  in  command  in  the  Valley,  he  patiently  bided 
his  time,  when  he  could,  as  he  did,  take  the  enemy  at  a 
disadvantage  in  the  battle  of  the  Opequon,  gaining  a 
great  victory  thereby,  and  thus  paved  the  way  for  the 
strong  confidence  the  unbounded  faith  in  him,  on  the 
part  of  his  army,  which  enabled  him  to  snatch  victory 
from  defeat  in  this  latter  memorable  battle.  Sheridan 
won  a major  general’s  commission  in  the  regular  army 
by  this  victory.  In  tendering  the  commission  a few 
weeks  later,  President  Lincoln  said  in  part,  that  it  was 
“for  a brilliant  victory  achieved  over  the  Rebels  for  the 
third  time  in  pitched  battle  within  thirty  days.” 

(538)  The  next  morning  after  the  battle  our  brigade 
left  Winchester  at  about  2 o’clock  for  Cedar  Creek  arriv- 
ing there  the  same  morning  at  about  8 o’clock  with  the 
wagon  train.  When  we  arrived  on  the  battle  field  some 
of  the  Rebel  dead  were  yet  unburied.  The  following  day 
the  21st,  the  Twelfth  with  its  brigade  marched  down  the 
pike  about  seven  miles  to  Newtown  to  guard  the  tem- 
porary hospital  at  that  place.  We  remained  at  this  town 
for  over  two  Aveeks.  On  the  25th,  the  soldiers  here  who 
Avere  citizens  of  West  Virginia  \mted  for  President.  An 
old  diary  Avritten  at  the  time  says  that  there  Avere  only 
four  or  five  Arotes  for  McClellan ; whether  in  the  brigade 
or  our  regiment  it  does  not  say.  The  next  day  Gen.  Duffie 
Avas  captured  betAveen  Winchester  and  Martinsburg. 

(539)  During  the  stay  at  Newtown,  Mosby  was 
around  in  the  vicinity  tAvice,  one  time  capturing  a forage 
train  Avithin  a mile  or  two  of  town,  and  getting  off  with 
the  mules.  Both  times  the  Twelfth  went  out  after  him, 
but  saw  nothing  of  him.  It  was  useless  to  send  infantry 
after  mounted  men.  On  the  13th  the  First  Virginia  left 
for  Cumberland,  Md. 


189 


CHAPTER  XI. 


(540)  While  the  Twelfth  remained  at  Newtown,  there 
was  nothing  of  special  interest  occurred  other  than  has 
been  mentioned.  As  winter  and  bad  weather  were 
approaaching,  in  order  that  we  might  be  closer  to  our 
base  of  supplies,  the  infantry  moved  back  from  Cedar 
Creek  on  the  9th  of  November  to  Ivearnstown ; the  next 
day  the  cavalry  followed  and  late  in  the  evening  of  this 
same  day,  and  lost  of  all,  the  two  remaining  regiments  of 
our  brigade  moved  down  and  joined  our  corps  with  the 
army.  The  next  day  we  put  up  our  tents.  The  Sixth 
Corps  and  the  Nineteenth,  worked  at  throwing  up  forti- 
fications all  day. 

(541)  The  next  day  after  Sheridan’s  amy  left  Cedar 
Creek,  Early  thinking  that  perhaps  our  force  had  been 
withdrawn  to  send  part  of  it  to  Grant,  moved  his  army 
down  from  New  Market  ti  Middletown.  He  was  thus  on 
the  day,  the  evening  of  which  the  Twelfth  left  its  camp 
at  Newtown,  within  five  miles  of  us  at  that  place  Sheridan 
was  ready  to  meet  him ; and  sent  out  the  cavalry  on  the 
12th  against  the  Rebel  cavalry.  Merritt’s  and  Custer’s 
divisions  on  the  right  of  the  pike,  and  Powell  on  the  Front 
Royal  road.  They  drove  the  Rebel  cavalry  back.  Powell 
attacked  McCausland’s  brigade  at  Stony  Point  and  routed 
it  capturing  its  two  guns  and  245  officers  and  men.  The 
army  was  ordered  to  be  prepared  for  battle  the  next  day ; 
but,  though  Early  had,  according  to  the  reports  of  citizens 
been  considerably  reinforced  after  the  battle  of  Cedar 
Creek,  he  had  by  this  time  acquired  a wholesome  regard 
for  the  fighting  qualities  of  Sheridan’s  army ; and  finding 
that  it  was  still  in  the  Valley  in  force,  he  concluded  not 
to  risk  a battle,  but  returned  to  his  camp  at  New  Market 
the  14th. 

(542)  The  Twelfth  remained  with  the  army  at 


191 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


Kearnstown  for  two  weeks.  On  the  19th — the  day  of 
the  month  in  each  instance,  on  which  Sheridan’s  two 
great  battles  were  fought,  the  battle  of  the  Opequon 
and  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek — orders  were  read  to  our 
regiment  from  Gen.  Sheridan  naming  this  army,  the 
Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  the  camp  here,  Camp  Rus- 
sell. On  the  23rd  the  boys  of  the  Twelfth  had  abundance 
of  chicken  sent  them  from  somewhere  for  Thanksgiving 
dinner. 

(543)  Here  is  a somewhat  characteristic  ancedote  of 
an  Irishman  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps : It  is  believed 
that  it  was  while  the  Twelfth  was  at  Camp  Russell,  that 
this  Irishman,  who  had  evidently  been  embibing  freely  of 
the  ardent,  was  noticed  sauntering  through  the  camp  sing- 
ing as  he  sauntered  an  apparently  impromptu  song,  and 
staggering  considerably  as  he  sauntered  and  sang.  His 
corps  had  suffered  heavily  in  the  battle  of  the  Opequon. 
And  his  song  related  to  the  part  it  had  taken  in  that  battle. 
This  much  of  the  song  is  remembered : 

“The  nineteenth  of  September 
In  eighteen  sixty-four, 

Is  long  to  be  remembered 
By  the  Nineteenth  Army  Corps.” 

(544)  The  following  is  an  amusing  episode  of  soldier 
life  that  will  be  appreciated  by  the  boys  generally,  and 
some  of  them  will  no  doubt  remember  it.  In  order  that 
a better  understanding  of  it  may  be  had  by  others  than 
soldiers  it  may  be  well  to  say  that,  as  is  well  known  by  all 
soldiers  who  campaigned  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  the 
guerrila  Mosby  was  a dangerous  enemy,  and  a terror  to 
all  soldiers  disposed  to  straggle.  Sheridan  once  remarked 
that  Mosby  was  as  good  to  keep  up  his,  Sheridan’s, 
stragglers  as  would  have  been  a regiment  for  that  pur- 
pose; Mosby  was  also  something  of  a bugaboo,  and  a 
subject  of  jest  among  the  soldiers. 

(545)  It  was  perhaps  while  we  were  at  Camp  Russell 
that  one  day  a merchant  tailor  came  into  camp  from 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


Wheeling,  to  see  the  officers  of  the  Twelfth  with  a view  to 
taking  orders  for  new  uniforms.  He  wore  a plug  hat. 
Now  when  a stranger  appeared  in  camp  in  citizens’  dress, 
that  fact  was  sufficient  to  excite  in  the  minds  of  the  sol- 
diers a suggestion  of  a possible  spy  in  the  person  of  the 
stranger  ; and  Mosby  being  an  ever  present  bugbear  in 
the  minds  of  the  soldiers,  his  name  would  naturally  be 
associated  with  that  of  the  stranger.  So  when  the  Wheel- 
ing man  appeared  on  the  streets  of  the  camp  wearing  his 
plug  hat,  the  boys  raised  a general  yell  of  Mosby ! Mosby ! 
Mosby  mingled  with  some  remarks  about  the  plug  hat. 
Men  can  stand  almost  anything  better  than  derision,  es- 
pecially when  it  comes  from  a great  crowd ; and  quickly 
“catching  on”  to  the  fact  that  he,  the  Wheeling  man,  was 
the  object  of  the  noisy  attention,  he  shot  into  an  officer’s 
tent  and  would  not  come  out  until  he  had  exchanged  his 
plug  hat  for  a slouch  hat,  which  some  officer  managed  to 
get  for  him. 

(546)  The  Twelfth  marched  from  Camp  Russell  on 
the  24th  to  Stevenson’s  Depot,  five  miles  northeast  of 
Winchester.  The  railroad  track  had  recently  been  relaid 
to  that  place.  We  remained  here  over  three  weeks.  The 
duty  at  this  place  was  heavy,  our  brigade  having  to  unload 
all  the  cars  which  brought  supplies  to  the  army  and  do 
picket  duty  besides.  On  the  16th  of  December  one  hun- 
dred guns  were  fired  at  Camp  Russell  in  honor  of  Gen. 
Thomas’s  victory  the  day  before  at  Nashville.  When  we 
heard  the  firing  at  first  we  thought  the  enemy  had  at- 
tacked our  forces  at  the  front.  But  before  long  a dispatch 
came  from  Sheridan  telling  the  reason  of  the  firing.  The 
next  day  another  salute  was  fired  at  the  front  in  honor  of 
Gen.  Thomas’s  victory  in  the  second  day’s  fighting  at 
Nashville,  and  the  fall  of  Savannah  and  its  occupancy  by 
Sherman. 

(547)  Before  the  middle  of  December,  Early,  having 
sent  the  bulk  of  his  command  to  Lee,  the  last  of  the  Sixth 
Corps  had  gone  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  on  the 


193 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


19th  the  Third  Brigade  of  our  division  took  the  cars  at 
Stevenson's  Depot  for  the  Army  of  the  James.  Later  the 
same  day  our  brigade  followed,  having  to  ride  in  filthy 
cattle  cars.  Owing  to  a scarcity  of  cars  some  of  the  men 
had  to  ride  on  top  of  them,  and,  the  weather  being  cold, 
they  suffered  considerably,  especially  those  who  rode  on 
top  of  the  cars.  We  got  to  Washington  at  eight  o’clock 
a.  m.  the  next  day,  the  cars  landing  us  at  the  wharf.  The 
men  would  have  been  glad  to  see  the  city,  but  they  were 
not  permitted  to  do  so.  While  we  were  waiting  for  a 
few  hours  to  be  marched  on  board  a transport,  some  citi- 
zens standing  about  were,  as  was  natural,  making  re- 
marks about  us.  One  fellow  was  overheard  to  volunteer 
the  pleasant  reminder  concerning  us,  that  “There  are  more 
of  those  fellows  going  to  Grant’s  army  than  will  ever  get 
back.”  And  this  citizen’s  tone  seemed  to  indicate  that 
he  exulted  in  the  thought.  May  be,  too,  the  wish  was 
father  to  the  thought. 

(548)  About  12  o’clock  m.  our  regiment  went  aboard 
of  the  transports.  A part  of  us  went  on  a small  craft 
called  the  Putnam.  This  vessel  was  soon  on  its  way  down 
the  Potomac.  As  we  passed  down  we  got  a view  of 
Mount  Vernon.  About  10  p.  m.  we  anchored  for  the 
night.  We  started  at  daylight  the  next  morning,  the  21st. 
We  ran  into  the  St.  Mary’s  River  at  about  4 o’clock  p.  m. 
that  day,  and  cast  anchor  on  account  of  the  high  wind. 
We  were  now  100  miles  from  Washington.  All  the  next 
day  we  were  detained  here  by  the  high  wind ; and  owing 
to  some  mismanagement  we  had  not  rations  enough,  and 
the  men  ran  out  of  them. 

(549)  At  daylight  the  23rd  our  vessel  weighed  anchor 
and  a run  of  ten  miles  brought  us  to  Point  Lookout  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Potomac.  We  stopped  here  and  drew 
three  days’  rations.  TAvelve  thousand  Rebel  prisoners 
were  confined  here  at  that  time.  From  this  point  we 
passed  down  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  some  time  in  the 
night  anchored  near  Fortress  Monroe.  We  started  up 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


the  James  River  early  the  next  morning  and  arrived  at 
City  Point  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  about  dark. 
Changing  boats  here  we  ran  up  20  miles  farther,  80  miles 
from  Fortress  Monroe,  and  landed  on  the  north  side, 
near  the  Dutch  Gap  canal. 

(550)  Before  the  soldiers  of  the  Twelfth  went  to 
Grant's  army  they  had  a somewhat  exaggerated  idea  of 
the  fierceness  and  fatality  of  the  fighting  there.  They 
had  some  kind  of  a vague  idea  that,  like  the  fly  in  the 
spider's  parlor,  in  the  story  of  the  “Spider  and  the  Fly,” 
where  they  got  into  it  once,  there  was  an  excellent  chance 
of  not  getting  out  of  it  again  alive.  But  in  so  great  an 
army  as  Grant  had  naturally  soldiers  would  be  going  to 
and  from  it  all  the  time;  and  somewhere  on  the  Potomac 
or  Chesapeake  Bay,  we  met  a vessel  with  a number  of  sol- 
diers aboard,  going  to  the  rear.  When  the  returning  sol- 
diers were  noticed  Major  Brown  remarked  in  a kind  of 
serio-comic  way  in  an  illusion  to  the  supposed  extreme 
unhealthiness  of  the  service  in  Grant's  army:  “Well,  I 
notice  that  some  fellows  at  least  are  getting  back  from  the 
army  before  Richmond  alive!” 

(551)  The  next  morning  (Christmas)  after  landing 
we  got  off  the  vessel  and  the  other  transport  with  the  rest 
of  the  Twelfth  having  arrived,  the  regiment  marched 
about  four  miles  to  where  the  other  troops  of  our  division 
were  camped,  and  took  the  quarters  temporarily  vacated 
by  Gen  Butler's  troops,  who  had  gone  to  attempt  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  Fisher.  We  remained  in  these  quarters  sev- 
eral days,  during  which  there  was  nothing  occurred 
worthy  of  mention  except  that  the  enemy  kept  throwing 
shells  at  short  intervals  at  our  men  working  at  the  Dutch 
Gap  canal ; and  once  when  there  was  heavy  cannonading 
toward  Petersburg  we  were  called  out  in  line,  the  general 
in  command  on  our  side  of  the  James  apparently  fearing 
an  attack. 

(552)  On  the  30th  some  of  the  troops  that  had  been 
on  the  Fort  Fisher  expedition  returned  and  we  had  to 


195 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


vacate  our  quarters  and  move  some  three  miles  farther  to 
the  right  and  put  up  winter  quarters.  The  Fifty-fourth 
Pennsylvania,  the  Twenty-third  Illinois  and  the  Twelfth 
West  Virginia,  January  1st,  1865,  were  brigaded  together 
and  designated  as  the  Second  Brigade,  Col.  Curtis  com- 
manding. Our  division  was  known  as  the  Second  or 
Independent  Division,  Twenty-fourth  Corps,  Col.  T.  M. 
Harris,  afterward  succeeded  by  Gen.  John  Turner,  com- 
manding the  division;  and  Gen.  John  Gibbon  commanded 
the  corps. 

(553)  When  the  Twelfth  was  transferred  to  the  Army 
of  the  James,  Gen.  Butler  was  in  command  of  it,  but  hav- 
ing failed  in  his  expedition  against  Fort  Fisher,  he  was 
relieved  and  Gen.  Ord  was  put  in  command  of  it,  which 
consisted  of  two  corps,  the  Twenty-fourth  and  the  Twen- 
ty-fifth, the  latter  being  colored  troops.  The  Dutch  Gap 
canal  referred  to  was  Gen.  Butler’s  project.  The  object 
of  the  undertaking  was  to  make  a channel  across  a nar- 
row neck  of  land,  made  by  a long  horse-shoe  bend  in  the 
river,  so  as  to  enable  our  vessels  to  avoid  obstructions  in 
the  bend,  and  pass  up  to  Richmond.  Of  course,  the  enemy 
tried  to  prevent  work  at  the  canal  and  to  this  end,  as  be- 
fore stated,  firing  shells  at  intervals  at  the  workers  (col- 
ored men)  was  kept  up;  but  the  work  went  on.  The  men 
dug  holes  in  the  side  of  the  canal,  which  they  called 
gopher  holes.  There  was  also  a high  lookout  nearby  from 
which  a man  kept  a constant  watch,  and  when  the  Rebels 
fired  a shot  he  would  cry  out  “Gopher  hole!”  and  the 
“darks”  would  bounce  into  the  holes  and  remain  there 
until  the  shell  exploded.  Then  they  would  come  out  and 
go  to  work  again.  It  used  to  be  great  fun  for  the  boys  to 
watch  the  “darks”  run  for  cover  when  the  lookout  man 
gave  notice  of  a shot  by  the  enemy.  This  working  and 
shelling  was  kept  up  for  perhaps  a month  after  we  had 
gone  to  the  Army  of  the  James.  But  the  canal  when  it 
was  completed  as  far  as  it  could  be  under  the  circum- 


196 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


stances,  proved  to  be  a failure,  no  considerable  volume  of 
water  passing  through  it,  at  that  time  at  least. 

(554)  When  we  got  to  the  Army  of  the  James  we  wit- 
nessed a condition  of  affairs  different  from  anything  we 
had  hitherto  seen.  On  the  left  of  our  lines  in  front  of 
Fort  Harrison  the  pickets  were  probably  not  more  than 
50  yards  apart.  They  paced  bacward  and  forward  on 
their  several  beats  as  though  all  was  serene  between  the 
opposing  pickets.  If,  however,  either  side  had  advanced, 
or  perhaps,  if  one  man  had  shot  at  the  enemy,  a bloody 
ball  of  battle  would  have  opened ; but  the  one  man  did  not 
fire;  and  all  was  quiet  on  our  side  of  the  river,  while  on 
the  opposite  side  there  was  constant  firing  going  on  night 
and  day,  between  the  pickets  there. 

(555)  Our  duties  in  this  army  consisted  of  making 
“corduroy'’  roads  over  the  soft  and  muddy  ground,  the 
cutting  and  hauling  of  firewood,  drilling  a little  and  pre- 
paring for  inspections,  going  on  picket  about  once  a week, 
besides  for  the  greater  part  of  our  time  here,  having  to 
stand  in  line  of  battle,  just  outside  of  our  works,  for  an 
hour  or  so  from  awhile  before  day  each  morning.  How- 
ever, our  service  this  winter  in  the  Army  of  the  James 
was  as  easy  as  any  we  had  had,  and  very  much  easier  than 
some  of  our  previous  soldiering.  The  picket  duty  was 
comparatively  light,  and  then  we  were  here  free  from  the 
exhausting,  killing  marching  connected  with  much  of  our 
previous  service. 

(556)  On  the  7th  of  January  Lieut.  Col.  Northcott 
made  us  a farewell  speech,  his  resignation  some  time  pre- 
viously tendered,  having  been  accepted.  Owing  to  the 
high  regard  and  esteem  the  Twelfth  had  for  him,  both  as 
a man  and  as  a soldier,  the  command  parted  with  him 
with  regret.  Major  Brown  and  Capt.  Burley  of  Company 
A were  both  promoted  on  the  Twelfth,  the  former  to  be 
Lieutenant  Colonel  and  the  latter  to  be  Major,  this  mak- 
ing the  second  promotion  for  Brown  and  the  third  for 
Burley. 


197 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


(557)  On  the  17th  an  order  came  around  announcing 
the  fact  of  the  capture  of  the  Rebel  fort,  Fort  Fisher,  by 
the  combined  attack  of  our  land  and  naval  forces,  the  for- 
mer under  Gen.  Terry,  and  the  latter  under  Admiral  Por- 
ter. A salute  was  fired  here  at  12  o’clock  this  day  in  honor 
of  the  victory.  Our  brigade  was  inspected  on  the  22nd, 
and  the  Twelfth,  having  passed  the  best  inspection  of  any 
regiment  in  it,  was  excused  from  duty  for  one  week.  On 
the  24th,  there  having  been  heavy  cannonading  not  far  off 
all  the  night  before,  an  order  was  promulgated  saying  that 
the  Rebel  gunboats  had  come  down  the  James  that  night 
and  our  batteries  commanding  the  river  had  sunk  one, 
and  caused  two  others  to  run  aground.  An  attack  was 
expected  this  night  and  we  had  orders  to  be  ready  to  form 
ranks  at  a moment’s  notice. 

(558)  From  this  time  on,  while  the  opposing  armies 
faced  each  other  here,  desertions  from  the  enemy  were  of 
growing  frequency.  February  4th,  a lieutenant  colonel 
and  captain  deserted  from  the  Rebels  in  front  of  the  pick- 
ets of  our  division.  When  desertions  of  officers  of  their 
rank  were  taking  place,  it  began  to  look  like  “the  begin- 
ning of  the  end.”  A few  days  later  Richmond  papers 
obtained  from  the  Rebel  pickets  an  account  of  the  failure 
of  the  Peace  Commission,  composed  of  President  Lincoln 
and  others  on  the  part  of  the  Government,  and  Vice  Pres- 
ident Stephens  and  others  on  the  part  of  the  RebelsJ  which 
met  at  Hampton  Roads.  It  was  exceedingly  fortunate 
and  well  for  the  future  of  the  country  that  the  fatally  blind 
obstinacy  of  the  Rebels  that  had  characterized  them  from 
the  first  caused  them  to  refuse  to  consider  any  proposition 
of  peace  except  on  the  basis  of  their  independence. 

(559)  Concerning  the  Peace  Commission,  Gen.  Grant 
tells  a story  of  Lincoln,  which  will  bear  reproduction. 
Stephens  was  a very  small  man,  but  it  seems  that  he  wore 
a large  overcoat  on  the  occasion  of  the  meeting  of  the 
commission.  Some  time  after  this  Lincoln,  being  on  a 
visit  to  Grant,  after  a little  previous  conversation,  the  talk 


198 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


turning  on  the  commission,  asked  Grant  if  he  had  seen 
that  overcoat  of  Stephen’s.  He  replied  that  he  had.  “Did 
you  see  him  take  it  off?”  said  Lincoln.  “Yes,”  said  Grant. 
“Well,”  inquired  Lincoln,  “didn’t  you  think  it  was  the  big- 
gest shuck  and  the  least  ear  that  ever  you  did  see?” 

(560)  Camp  life  here  was  anything  but  dull.  There 
was  always  something  occurring  of  an  exciting  character. 
Besides  the  operations  of  the  armies  here,  the  booming  of 
cannon  for  instance,  that  was  not  un frequently  heard, 
causing  a lively  interest  as  to  what  it  signified,  we  had  or- 
ders at  various  times  announcing  victories  of  our  armies 
at  other  places,  and  salutes  fired  in  their  honor.  And  then 
a camp  rumor  startling  in  character  could  be  heard  at  al- 
most any  hour,  by  which  - the  soldiers  were  not  much 
startled,  however,  being  used  to  them.  In  fact,  there  are 
few  if  any  pursuits  in  civil  life  calculated  to  keep  up  the 
tension  of  excitement  like  life  in  a camp  of  a great  army 
in  time  of  war.  On  the  9th  a soldier  who  was  a deserter 
and  bounty  jumper  was  taken  outside  the  works  and  shot 
in  the  presence  of  a whole  division.  The  night  following 
three  of  the  Tenth  Connecticut  Infantry  substitutes  de- 
serted to  the  enemy,  passing  through  our  lines,  where 
some  of  the  Twelfth  were  on  picket.  One  of  them  shot  at 
the  deserters,  but  missed  them.  The  enemy  had  issued  an 
order  saying  that  all  deserters  from  our  army  should  be 
sent  through  the  lines  North,  and  that  was  the  reason 
those  fellows  deserted. 

(561)  On  the  21st  our  division  was  reviewed,  and  this 
same  day  one  hundred  guns  were  fired  from  Fort  Harri- 
son on  the  north  side  of  the  James  and  near  the  camp  of 
the  Twelfth,  in  honor  of  the  taking  of  Charleston  and 
Columbia,  S.  C.,  by  Sherman.  The  next  day  a salute  was 
fired  in  honor  of  Washington’s  birthday.  Twelve  days 
later,  March  7th,  the  news  was  received  in  camp  of  Sheri- 
dan’s victory  at  Waynesboro,  in  the  Valley,  over  Early, 
in  which  nearly  all  the  latter’s  force  was  captured.  No 
doubt  Sheridan’s  cavalry,  the  loyal  people  everywhere. 


199 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


and  especially  the  citizens  along  the  Baltimore  & Ohio 
railroad  in  the  Valley  were  jubilant  over  this  final  elimina- 
tion of  Jubal. 

(562)  On  the  17th  our  corps  was  reveiwed  by  Gen. 

Grant  and  staff,  accompanied  by  a number  of  distin- 
guished gentlemen  and  ladies.  Among  them  was  Ad- 
miral Porter,  Secretary  Stanton,  Mrs.  Grant  and  many 
others.  An  incident  of  this  review  is  remembered.  The 
troops  were  closely  massed  by  brigades  perhaps.  The 
Fifty-fourth  Pennsylvania  commanded  by  Major  Davis, 
belonged,  it  will  be  remembered,  to  our  brigade.  Davis 
was  a nervous,  excitable  man.  As  Grant  and  staff  were 
passing  rapidly  in  front  of  the  troops,  the  various  brigades 
and  divisions  greeted  them  with  a great  volume  of  cheers. 
This  excited  Davis,  and  as  Grant  drew  near,  the  former, 
his  eyes  shining  and  apparently  bulging  out,  in  an  excited 
and  vehement  manner,  gave  the  command  to  his  men  to 
cheer,  throwing  in  a simile  more  forcible  than  polite,  say- 
ing, “Cheer  like  men !”  causing  the  whole  brigade 

to  burst  forth  in  laughter.  Sad  to  say  this  officer  was 
afterward  killed  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Gregg. 

(563)  The  boys  generally  made  up  their  minds  on  the 
occasion  of  this  grand  review  that  something  was  about 
to  be  done.  Experience  had  made  them  shrewd  in  inter- 
preting transactions  relating  to  the  army  in  general ; in 
putting  this  and  that  together.  And  right  here  it  may  be 
well  to  speak  of  what  was  regarded  as  a possible  under- 
taking before  the  Army  of  the  James.  In  front  of  and 
along  part  of  our  lines  quite  near  to  us  and  in  plain  view 
were  the  Rebel  breast  works  with  abatis  in  front.  Back 
of  these  were  numerous  forts  mounted  with  cannon,  the 
forts  commanding  each  other  so  that  if  one  were  taken  it 
would  be  under  tbe  fire  of  the  others.  Besides,  as  was 
generally  known  after  the  capture  of  Richmond,  there 
were  torpedoes  planted  in  front  of  their  forts  to  make 
them  still  more  impregnable.  Looking  at  the  Rebel  de- 
fences from  our  side,  it  seemed  that  to  undertake  their 


200 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


capture  it  would  be  like  rushing  into  a death-trap.  And 
yet  our  men  fronting  them  regarded  this  desperate  task 
as  far  from  improbable. 

(564)  On  the  19th  eight  deserters  from  the  Palmetto 
Sharpshooters,  all  from  one  company,  came  into  our  divi- 
sion headquarters.  They,  it  seemed,  had  got  a sufficiency 
of  “rights,”  also  about  all  the  dying-in-the-last-ditch  they 
cared  for,  and  as  to  the  “stars  and  bars”  and  “The  Bonny 
Blue  Flag” — well,  they  were  willing  to  part  from  them 
for  a time  at  least. 

(565)  On  the  22nd  Gen.  Turner  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  our  division,  Gen.  Harris  thereafter  to  com- 
mand the  Third  Brigade.  Two  days  later  we  received 
orders  to  be  ready  to  march  at  6 o’clock  the  next  morn- 
ing, the  25th.  We  moved  out  at  daylight  that  day,  Sheri- 
dan, being  on  his  return  from  the  Valley  to  Grant’s  Army, 
and  as  the  evening  might,  it  was  supposed,  try  to  inter- 
cept him,  our  movement  was  in  aid  of  him.  We  went  as 
far  as  the  Chickahominy,  passing  over  a part  of  McClel- 
lan's old  battlefields ; but  we  saw  nothing  of  Sheridan,  he 
having  crossed  farther  down  the  stream.  We  returned  to 
our  camp  in  the  evening.  In  passing  over  the  ground  of 
the  Seven  Days’  Fight,  numerous  bones  of  the  fallen  brave 
could  be  seen.  A rather  grotesque  incident  occurred  on 
this  march  to  and  from  the  historic  Chickahominy. 

(566)  Asst.  Surgeon  Neil  of  the  Twelfth  at  that  time 
was  something  of  a wag.  Moving  slowly  and  cautiously 
along  over  the  battlefield,  as  we  did,  he  had  ample  time  to 
pick  up  a skull,  which  he  did.  There  was  a round  hole  in 
it,  just  as  such  a musket  ball  would  make,  and  it  needed  no 
telling  that  that  was  what  made  it.  The  command  coming 
to  a temporary  halt,  he  held  up  the  skull,  and  assuming  an 
air  of  solemnity,  began  a sort  of  mock  lecture  somewhat 
after  the  manner  of  a phrenologist.  He  said  in  substance 
about  as  follows : 

(567)  “Gentlemen,”  said  he,  “examining  the  bumps 
upon  this  cranium  hastily,  yet  as  carefully  as  circum- 


201 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


stances  will  at  present  permit,  assisted  by  the  light  of  past 
and  passing  events,  I think  that  I may  say,  with  a confi- 
dence amounting  to  conviction,  and  that  you  will  be  justi- 
fied in  accepting  my  statement  as  an  assured  fact,  that 
the  original  possessor  of  this  poll  was  evidently  of  a more 
or  less  combative  disposition.  And  gentlemen,  judging 
from  the  light  of  current  history,  and  the  apparent  time 
that  this  skull  has  lain  where  it  was  picked  up,  and  the 
patent,  convincing,  ocular  evidence  sustaining  me  in  the 
assertion,  I have  no  doubt  that  the  wearer  of  this  cranium 
died  of  a gun  shot  wound.” 

(568)  The  boys  within  hearing  smiled,  some  audibly, 
and  as  the  march  was  resumed  their  arms  and  equip- 
ments felt  less  heavy  on  account  of  this  display  of  wag- 
gishness. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


(569)  On  the  afternoon  of  the  l’7th,  as  preparatory  to 
Grant's  grand  movement  against  the  forces  of  Lee  in 
front  of  Richmond  and  Petersburg,  two  divisions  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  Corps,  ours  and  the  First,  and  one  division 
of  the  Twenty-fifth  Corps  (colored),  crossed  the  James 
and  the  Appommattox,  and  marched  toward  the  left  of 
our  lines,  southwest  of  Petersburg.  Our  division  marched 
all  night,  passing  in  the  rear  of  the  lines  of  the  Army  of 
fhe  Potomac,  and  as  we  marched  along,  pretty  heavy  fir- 
ing of  the  pickets  close  to  our  right  was  heard  for  nearly 
the  whole  distance.  We  halted  about  daylight  in  the 
morning  in  front  of  Petersburg  and  at  10  o’clock  a.  m. 
we  resumed  our  march  toward  the  left,  followed  by  the 
other  troops  of  Gen.  Orel’s  Army  of  the  James,  camping 
within  about  two  miles  of  Humphrey’s  Station.  The  next 
day,  the  29th,  the  whole  army,  except  enough  to  hold  the 
intrenchments,  moved  to  the  left,  our  division  going  that 
morning  to  Humphrey’s  Station.  We  could  hear  cannon- 
ading farther  to  the  left  during  this  day.  That  night  it 
rained  all  night. 

(570)  At  daylight,  the  30th,  our  division  moved  again, 
the  rain  still  falling.  In  the  afternoon  a train  of  ambu- 
lances passed  to  the  rear  loaded  with  wounded  from  the 
Fifth  Corps.  Also  a lot  of  prisoners  were  brought  in  and 
sent  off  on  the  cars.  The  next  morning  at  about  8 o'clock 
the  rain  ceased,  it  having  rained  all  the  night  before,  and 
our  division  advanced  to  Hatcher's  Run ; and  the  enemy 
resisting  this  advance,  it  had  some  pretty  hard  fighting. 
At  this  time  the  Second  Corps  and  the  Fifth  and  Sheri- 
dan’s cavalry  were  on  our  left.  Before  daylight  the  fol- 
lowing day,  April  1st,  the  Rebels  charged  the  skirmish 
line  of  our  division,  but  were  repulsed.  In  this  charge  a 
Rebel  soldier,  either  deceived,  or  intending  to  deceive  our 


203 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


men,  came  running  up  to  Company  E of  the  Twelfth  on 
the  skirmish  line,  exclaiming:  “You  are  firing  on  your 
own  men !’’  Lieut.  Hugill  of  that  company  walked  up  to 
him,  took  his  gun  and  sent  him  to  the  rear  a prisoner. 

(571)  Concerning  operations  here  at  this  time,  Lieut. 
Col.  Holliday  of  the  Fifteenth  West  Virginia,  command- 
ing a brigade  at  the  time,  told  of  an  incident,  according 
to  a comrade,  about  Lieut.  E.  F.  Piggott  of  Company  G, 
which  may  be  here  given.  Holliday,  with  his  brigade, 
undertook  to  capture  a Rebel  fort  in  his  front  and  Lieut. 
Piggott,  being  on  the  skirmish  line  then  at  that  point, 
when  the  brigade  charged,  co-operated  in  the  charge  with 
his  company.  The  attempt  failed.  Holliday  and  Piggott 
were  in  front  of  their  men,  and  the  men,  giving  ground 
almost  before  the  officers  knew  of  it,  they  were  left  be- 
tween the  lines,  and,  the  fire  of  the  enemy  being  hot,  they 
took  cover  behind  stumps.  While  they  were  thus  under 
cover  Holliday  glanced  from  behind  his  stump,  and  seeing 
an  overcoat  in  front  said  that  he  wotild  like  to  have  it ; 
and  Lieut.  Piggott  coolly  and  deliberately,  said  Holliday, 
got  from  behind  his  stump,  walked  forward,  picked  up 
the  coat,  brought  it  back  and  gave  it  to  him.  Some  few 
years  since  Piggott,  poor  fellow,  passed  to  the  Beyond. 

(572)  All  night  of  the  1st  we  could  hear  on  our  right, 
toward  Petersburg,  the  deep  sounds  and  see  the  flashes  of 
light  caused  by  the  firing  of  our  siege-guns.  At  short 
intervals  the  whole  heavens  were  made  lurid  by  the  dis- 
charge of  the  artillery.  This  day  Sheridan,  with  his  cav- 
alry and  the  Fifth  Corps,  had  had  his  victory  at  Five 
Forks,  southwest  of  Petersburg.  This  firing  was  kept  up 
to  prevent,  perhaps,  the  enemy  from  detaching  troops  in 
our  front  for  the  purpose  of  recapturing  Five  Forks,  a 
vital  point  to  them.  As  the  Rebels  lay  behind  their  in- 
trenchments  that  night  it  may  be  that  they  regarded  this 
thundering  and  lightning  of  Uncle  Sam’s  siege-guns  as 
betokening  his  vengeful  wrath,  and  their  impending 
doom.  Grant  gave  orders  for  the  Sixth  Corps  on  our 


204 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 

right  and  opposite  the  Rebel  center,  expecting  the  enemy 
to  withdraw  troops  from  there  to  attack  the  lines  in  its 
front  as  soon  as  possible  in  the  morning,  the  2nd ; and  for 
all  the  other  troops  to  held  themselves  in  readiness  to  at- 
tack. The  Twelfth  took  a position  and  lay  close  up  to 
the  enemy's  lines  that  night,  fully  expecting  to  have  to 
attack  his  intrenchments  in  the  morning;  but  fortunately 
it  did  not  have  this  to  do. 

(573)  The  Sixth  Corps,  having  broken  the  lines  in  its 
front,  the  Rebels  soon  thereafter  evacuated  their  works 
in  our  front.  Our  brigade  then  moved  to  the  right  to- 
ward Petersburg,  arriving  near  the  city  a little  after  noon. 
By  this  time  all  the  enemy’s  works  southwest  of  the  city 
had  fallen  into  our  hands,  except  three  forts  near  it,  and 
several  thousand  prisoners  besides.  Our  brigade  partici- 
pated with  great  credit  that  afternoon  in  the  capture  of 
Fort  Gregg,  and  the  Twelfth  made  for  itself  a proud  rec- 
ord. An  incident  of  a little  while  previous  to  the  capture 
is  remembered.  After  our  brigade  had  got  within  a half 
mile  of  the  fort,  marching  along  we  passed  near  a few 
soldiers  not  on  duty.  They  seemed  to  regard  us  seriously, 
as  being  new  troops  to  them  and  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac. One  of  them  looked  at  us  rather  dubiously  and  said 
in  substance:  “I  wonder  if  those  fellows  will  stand  up  to 
it,”  implying  that  they  thought  there  was  fighting  before 
us.  We,  however,  had  little  idea  of  the  serious  work  just 
at  hand.  If  those  soldiers  watched  the  part  we  took  in 
the  capture  of  Fort  Gregg,  they  doubtless  had  their  minds 
disabused  of  any  doubts  as  to  whether  we  would  stand  up 
to  it,  at  least  as  well  as  the  average  soldiers. 

(574)  Our  brigade  was  marched  up  and  halted  in  line 
on  high  ground  facing  toward  Fort  Gregg  to  the  north. 
All  was  quiet  as  yet,  there  being  no  firing.  When  we 
reached  this  ground  we  could  see  some  of  our  troops,  a 
part  of  the  First  Division  of  our  corps,  a little  to  the  right 
of  a direct  line  from  us  to  the  fort,  and  pretty  close  up  to 
it.  They  were  in  a wavering  condition,  having  failed  to 


205 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


enter  the  fort.  A little  later  an  aid  rode  up  to  Col.  Curtis, 
evidently  giving  an  order.  The  colonel  looked  a little  pale, 
but  unflinching,  and  almost  before  we  had  time  to  think, 
and  without  any  announcement  of  what  we  had  to  do, 
the  order  of  “Attention,  Second  Brigade,  shoulder  arms ; 
right  shoulder  shift,  arms;  forward  double  quick  march,” 
was  given.  The  boys  seemed  to  know  by  a common  un- 
derstanding what  was  wanted,  and,  giving  a yell,  a sort  of 
“Rebel  yell,”  they  started  on  the  charge,  running  like 
mad  their  very  best,  seeming  to  realize  that  the  sooner 
they  got  to  the  fort,  the  fewer  of  them  would  get  killed. 

(575)  The  fort  was  in  plain  view  from  the  point  from 
which  we  charged,  and  as  the  ground  over  which  we 
charged  was  mainly  clean  and  open,  and  the  lay  of  the 
land  was  such  that  the  fort  was  not  lost  sight  of  at  any 
time  during  the  charge.  The  distance  to  be  charged  over 
was  perhaps  500  yards  down  a slope  and  up  a slope.  In 
the  hollow  or  foot  of  the  slopes,  something  less  than  half 
way  to  the  fort,  there  was  some  low  swamp  brush.  When 
this  was  reached  the  enemy  opened  on  our  men,  apparently 
with  grape  or  canister.  The  balls  could  be  heard  striking 
in  the  mud  and  clashing  through  the  brush,  but,  as  seemed 
surprising,  few  if  any  were  hit  just  at  that  place.  The 
men  rushed  rapidly  on  their  ranks,  necessarily  much 
broken  by  their  passing  through  the  low  swamp  brush, 
their  different  capabilities  as  runners,  and  their  all  rushing 
toward  the  one  point,  the  fort.  And  they  never  stopped 
or  scarcely  so,  until  the  bulk  of  them  were  in  the  deep 
ditch  surrounding  the  fort.  All  the  time  after  our  men 
had  come  within  close  range,  the  enemy  poured  into  them 
a hot  musketry  fire ; but  they  escaped  being  hit  remarka- 
bly, owing  to  the  rapidity  of  our  men’s  movements,  and 
the  Rebels’  overshooting,  aided  materially  evidently  by  the 
troops  of  the  First  Division’s  drawing  the  Rebels  fire,  and 
by  their  return  fire,  compelling  the  Rebels  to  a considera- 
ble extent  to  keep  under  cover. 

(576)  When  the  order  to  charge  was  given  Private 


SO  6 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


J.  W.  Caldwell  of  Company  D took  off  his  hat  and,  swing- 
ing it  over  his  head,  shouted : “That’s  our  fort,  that’s  our 
fort;”  but  the  gallant  boy,  falling  dead  upon  the  field, 
failed  to  witness  its  capture.  Gen.  Turner,  commanding 
the  division,  after  the  brigade  had  got  part  of  the  way  to 
the  fort,  and  was  under  heavy  fire,  believing  that  the 
birgade  was  insufficient  to  take  the  fort,  sent  an  order  to 
Col.  Curtis  to  halt  his  men  and  await  reinforcements,  but 
the  men  rushed  on.  Col.  G.  B.  Caldwell,  who  was  adju- 
tant of  the  Twelfth  till  the  winter  of  1864-5,  in  his  eulo- 
gium  upon  Col.  Curtis  at  the  reunion  of  the  Society  of  the 
Army  of  West  Virginia  in  1891,  says  in  regard  to  the 
order  to  Col.  Curtis  to  halt  his  brigade;  “But  American 
soldiers  are  men  of  intelligence.  With  one  mind  they 
thought  they  were  more  certain  to  be  shot  down  if  they 
turned  their  backs  than  if  they  went  on.  They  rushed 
forward."  So  far  as  this  statement  implies  that  the  men 
heard  that  order,  it  appears  to  be  a mistake.  It  is  believed 
that  few  if  any  of  the  rank  and  file  heard  the  order.  It 
would  have  taken  a dozen  or  more  men  of  the  greyhound 
type  to  have  carried  that  order  to  the  men  after  they  got 
on  the  go  for  that  fort. 

(577)  When  within  50  yards  of  the  fort  Sergt.  Eman- 
uel M.  Adams  of  Company  D,  color-bearer,  fell  wounded. 
The  colors  were  picked  up  and  bravely  carried  forward  by 
Private  Joseph  R.  Logsden  of  Company  C,  as  the  brigade 
charged  on  over  the  dead  and  wounded  of  the  First  Divi- 
sion. After  our  men  had  got  into  the  ditch  surrounding 
the  fort,  they  remained  there  perhaps  twenty  minutes  be- 
fore they  made  an  entrance.  In  the  meantime  the  Rebels 
were  throwing  dirt,  stones  and  various  kinds  of  missiles 
upon  them.  At  length  as  a movement  toward  entering 
the  fort,  the  gallant  Logsden  undertook  to  plant  the  flag 
of  the  Twelfth  upon  the  parapet,  and  was  killed,  falling 
back  into  the  ditch.  The  colors  were  then  seized  by 
Lieut.  Joseph  Caldwell  of  Company  A,  who  leaped  upon 
the  parapet,  and  in  attempting  to  plant  the  colors  there 


207 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


was  killed,  falling  also  into  the  ditch.  The  flag  fell  inside 
of  the  fort.  Then  the  brave  boys  of  the  Twelfth  rushed 
to  the  parapet  to  recover  their  flag.  They  were  joined 
by  comrades  of  the  rest  of  the  brigade.  Pouring  a volley 
into  the  Rebels,  the  boys  of  the  Twelfth  leaped  into  the 
fort  and  planted  their  flag  on  the  parapet — the  first  colors 
on  the  Rebel  works.  The  fort  and  its  brave  defenders 
were  soon  ours,  all  the  troops  present  joining  in  'their 
capture.  But  the  reduction  of  the  fort  was  at  fearful  cost 
to  the  Union  troops,  the  loss  being  in  killed  and  wounded 
715,  as  will  be  seen  in  Col.  Caldwell’s  address  at  Hunt- 
ington, herein  given. 

(578)  After  events  seem  to  show  conclusively  that 
this  great  sacrifice  was  unnecessary,  for  the  fort  would 
have  been  evacuated  the  following  night  without  it.  But 
it  was  here  that  the  Twelfth  won  its  eagle,  and  Col.  Cur- 
tis his  star,  and  Capt.  Bristor  won  promotion  for  his 
gallant  conduct.  It  was  here,  too,  that  Lieut.  J.  M.  Cur- 
tis won  a medal  of  honor,  and  Andrew  O.  Apple  of  Com- 
pany I and  Joseph  McCauslin  of  Company  D also  won 
their  medals  of  honor.  And  to  add  to  the  grace  and  beauty 
of  the  distinction,  those  medals  were  pinned  upon  the 
lapels  of  the  boys’  coats  by  the  fair  hands  of  the  daughter 
of  Gen.  John  Gibbon,  our  corps  commander.  There  are 
very  respectable  members  of  Private  George  H.  Bird’s 
Company  (I),  it  should  be  added,  who  believed  that  he 
should  have  had  a medal  of  honor,  as  he  w^as  among  the 
first  few  who  climbed  upon  the  parapet  of  the  fort. 

(579)  The  next  morning,  the  3rd,  after  the  capture  of 
Fort  Gregg,  it  was  found  that  the  enemy  had  evacuated 
Richmond  and  Petersburg,  and  nearly  all  the  troops  be- 
fore these  cities,  including  our  division,  started  imme- 
diately in  pursuit.  And  not  to  prolong  the  history  too 
much,  it  will  simply  be  said  that  we  followed  the  Rebels 
for  several  days,  there  being  more  or  less  fighting  and 
captures  of  prisoners  by  some  part  of  Grant’s  forces  every 
day.  However,  a material  matter  somewhat  closely  con- 


208 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


nected  with  the  history  of  the  Twelfth  regarding  this  par- 
ticular time,  should  not  be  omitted.  On  the  6th,  the  Fifty- 
fourth  Pennsylvania  and  another  regiment  of  infantry, 
with  a squadron  of  cavalry  were  sent  out  in  the  direction 
of  Farmville  under  command  of  Brig.  Gen.  Theodore 
Read  to  burn  a bridge  near  there  in  advance  of  the  re- 
treating Rebels.  But  they  were  surrounded  by  a large 
force  of  the  enemy,  many  killed  and  wounded,  including 
Gen.  Read  killed,  and  the  rest  all  captured.  The  Eighth, 
two  divisions  of  our  corps,  the  First  Division  and  the 
Independent,  marched  all  day  and  until  11  o'clock  at  night, 
making  in  that  time,  it  was  said  at  the  time,  a distance  of 
35  miles.  We  did  not  then  precisely  know  the  object  of 
this  forced  march.  We  did  not  know  but  that  we  were 
following  the  Rebels,  but  we  found  afterward  that  we 
were  being  pushed  to  cut  off  their  retreat. 

(580)  An  incident  concerning  a private  of  Company  I, 
Alexander  B.  Allison,  is  perhaps  well  worth  telling  here. 
The  boys  of  the  Twelfth,  like  those  of  other  regiments 
perhaps,  were  much  given  to  discussing  the  probable  out- 
come of  any  military  undertaking.  On  this  forced  march 
the  boys  struck  up  a discussion  as  to  the  probability  of 
overtaking  Lee’s  army,  the  likelihood  of  a battle,  and  the 
probable  result  of  it.  Finally  some  of  the  boys  said  that 
they  had  seen  enough  of  the  Johnnys  and  that  they  wished 
that  they,  the  Johnnys,  would  go  on  until  they  should  run 
into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Fighting  the  Johnnys  was  no 
longer  a picnic.  The  time  had  passed  when  the  boys  were 
“spoiling  for  a fight,”  and  as  the  average  man  is  generally 
willing  to  postpone  a possibly  fatal  ordeal,  so  the  most  of 
the  boys  were  doubtless  willing  to  delay  an  engagement 
with  the  enemy.  Private  Allison,  however,  then  about  19 
years  of  age,  spoke  up  showing  the  grit  to  perform  a dis- 
agreeable duty  immediately,  saying:  “Boys,  if  I have  to 
fight  the  Rebels  at  all  I am  willing  to  do  it  right  now.  I 
do  not  desire  to  follow  them  for  a week  or  two,  and  then 
have  to  fight  them  at  last.” 


209 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


(581)  We  camped  this  night  in  a piece  of  woods  to 
the  side  of  the  road  not  far,  as  we  learned  afterward,  from 
the  Southside  railroad.  It  happened  that  the  cavalry  a 
short  time  before  had  captured  a train  of  cars  containing 
subsistence  for  Lee’s  army,  and  the  train  was  lying  not 
far  from  our  camp.  One  of  the  boys  of  Company  I some- 
how found  out  that  the  train  was  there,  and  he  got  by 
some  sort  of  management  a large  piece  of  bacon,  as  much 
as  he  could  well  carry,  and  brought  it  to  camp,  dividing 
it  among  a number  of  the  company.  This  was  a welcome 
supplement  to  the  rations. 

(582)  Before  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  ever 
memorable  9th  of  April,  a day  that  will  stand  out  as  con- 
spicuously in  our  history  as  that  of  the  surrender  at  York- 
town,  if  not  more  so,  we  started  to  cut  off  and  surround 
the  Rebels  in  their  retreat,  to  engage  and  vanquish  them 
in  their  Last  Ditch,  and  give  a finishing  stroke  to  the  Lost 
Cause;  and  thus  to  give  to  the  loyal  people  of  the  Nation 
the  fruition  of  their  indominatable  struggles,  through  hope 
through  darkness  and  doubt,  for  four  long  and  bloody 
years;  to  illuminate  tbe  land  with  joy,  and  to  fill  it  with 
a great  gladness  such  as  it  had  not  known  for  generations. 

(583)  We  marched  not  very  far  when  we  were  started 
on  the  double-quick  along  the  road,  just  as  day  was  break- 
ing. We  had  marched  thus  rapidly  only  for  a few  min- 
utes, when  some  cavalry  were  observed  coming  out  of 
woods  on  our  right  at  a rather  rapid  rate,  though  in  good 
order.  It  appeared  that  the  Rebels  had  been  driving 
them,  and  that  they  were  withdrawing  to  uncover  the  in- 
fantry. Just  as  a squadron  emerged  from  the  woods  op- 
posite our  regiment,  one  of  the  cavalrymen  exclaimed : 
“Here  come  the  Doe  boys !”  and  then  he  gave  us  the  fur- 
ther encouragement  of  assuring  us  that  the  Johnnys  had 
up  the  black  flag. 

(584)  Every  soldier  who  served  any  considerable  time 
in  the  late  war  will  bear  out  the  assertion  that  in  no  kind 
of  civil  life  during  the  same  length  of  time  could  a man 


210 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


hear  a tithe  of  the  rumors,  startling  in  purport,  that  he 
could  hear  during  the  war  So  the  boys  had  heard  too 
many  rumors  to  be  frightened  by  this  story  of  the  black 
flag.  In  a few  minutes  our  regiment  was  halted,  the  ranks 
closed  up  and  formed  into  line  upon  the  road.  This  road, 
it  is  believed,  led  north,  so  as  to  intersect  the  road  the 
Rebels  were  on,  a short  distance  west  of  Appomattox 
Court-house.  Our  part  of  the  line  did  not  extend  as  far 
as  the  intersection  of  the  roads,  but  doubtless  the  two  divi- 
sions extended  beyond  it,  so  as  to  completely  cut  off  the 
retreat  of  the  enemy.  We  moved  in  line  toward  the  enemy 
and  at  nearly  right  angle  to  the  road,  through  some  woods 
in  such  a menner  as  to  place  our  regiment  in  the  west  line 
of  the  closing  in  lines.  Our  two  divisions  from  the  Army 
of  the  James  and  Sheridan’s  cavalry  were  now  barring 
the  Rebel  retreat.  We  advanced  rather  cautiously,  mov- 
ing up  a little  then,  then  halting,  perhaps  waiting  on  the 
disposition  of  other  troops.  It  was  not  long  till  shells  be- 
gan to  crash  through  the  tree  tops  above  us,  from  the  ene- 
my’s batteries.  They  did  no  harm  to  us,  however. 

(585)  We  now  halted  and  remained  in  line  for  per- 
haps two  hours,  expecting  to  have  a battle  that  day.  The 
boys  of  the  Twelfth  seemed  confident.  There  was  no  dis- 
position shown  by  any  to  flinch.  They  no  doubt  were 
cheered  by  the  thought  that  for  once,  since  joining  Grant’s 
army,  they  were  about  to  get  a whack  at  the  Rebs  without 
having  to  fight  them  behind  breast  works ; when  about  9 
o’clock  a.  m.,  the  order  came  very  unexpectedly  and  to  our 
great  gratification  and  relief,  to  cease  firing  until  further 
orders.  We  did  not  then  know  that  a flag  of  truce  had 
been  sent  by  Gen.  Lee ; but  the  boys  generally  seemed,  in 
the  phrase  of  the  present  time,  to  “catch  on”  to  the  fact 
that  this  probably  meant  the  surrender  of  Lee’s  army,  the 
main-stay  of  the  Rebellion ; and  their  countenances  ac- 
cordingly lighted  up  with  the  thought  of  the  pleasing  pros- 
pect of  this  glorious  consummation,  which  all  felt  was 
devoutly  to  be  wished  for,  and  which  had  been  hoped, 


211 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


prayed  and  fought  for  through  four  long  years  of  blood 
and  tears,  and  tears  and  blood. 

(586)  Soldiers  hardly  ever  have  knowledge  before 
hand  of  any  great  military  movement  in  which  they  are 
to  engage.  Sometimes  they  are  precipitated  into  a haz- 
ardous undertaking  without  a minute’s  notice.  They  are 
even  sometimes  engaged  in  important  movements  with- 
out knowing  definitely  what  the.y  are  doing.  A soldier, 
who  was  in  McClellan’s  army  in  its  retreat  from  the 
Chiekahominy  to  the  James,  once  related  that  he  thought 
that  all  the  time  they  were  fighting  and  marching  they 
were  going  toward  Richmond  instead  of  retreating.  But, 
as  to  the  matter  of  the  early  knowledge  of  what  was  about 
to  be  done,  for  once,  that  9th  of  April,  the  soldiers  got 
ahead  of  the  Commander  of  the  United  States  Army,  for 
they  had  at  about  9 o’clock  a.  m.  that  eventful  day  a pretty 
strong  intimation  of  what  was  about  to  take  place;  while 
Lee’s  dispatch  to  Grant  agreeing  to  surrender  on  Grant’s 
terms  did  not  reach  him  until  half  past  eleven  o’clock  a. 
m.,  the  latter  being  considerably  in  the  rear  of  his  forces, 
passing  from  the  right  to  the  left  to  communicate  with 
Sheridan.  He  could  not  be  found  till  then,  and  conse- 
quently did  not  know  sooner  of  Lee’s  acceptance  of  his 
terms. 

(587)  Perhaps  it  was  shortly  after  12  m.  that  our  line 
moved  up  toward  the  Rebel  camp  into  open  ground,  and 
soon  their  camp  some  half  mile  distant  appeared  in  view. 
Not  long  after  this  a great  volume  of  cheers  was  heard 
rolling  round  the  lines  from  right  to  left.  This  we  soon 
learned  was  caused  by  the  announcement  of  the  surrender. 
The  cheering  was  not  precisely  continuous,  but  was  rathr 
somewhat  intermittent.  It  would  break  out  in  great  roars, 
then  subside,  then  in  a few  minutes  break  out  again,  all 
the  time  coming  nearer  as  the  news  was  carried  from  or- 
ganization to  organization.  Pretty  soon  our  commander, 
Col.  Curtis,  rode  in  front  of  the  regiment  and  repeated 
the  gladsome  news  of  the  surrender,  saying  that  the  war 


212 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


was  virtually  over ; that  we  would  soon  be  mustered  out, 
and  sent  home ; that  we  would  get  home  in  time  for  har- 
vest. The  boys,  inspired  by  the  thought  of  final  victory, 
that  the  “cruel  war”  was  over,  and  especially  by  the 
thought  of  home,  gave  three  such  rousing  heart-felt 
cheers  as  doubtless  never  escaped  their  lips  before. 

(588)  Such  vigorous,  frantic  and  deep-down-from- 
the-heart  cheering  was  perhaps  never  before  heard  on  this 
continent  as  was  heard  that  day;  and  the  boys  need  not 
ever  expect  to  hear  the  like  again.  Men  acted  with  the 
delirium  of  joy,  climbing  trees,  throwing  their  hats  in  the 
air,  jumping  on  them  and  doing  all  sorts  of  frantic  things. 
They  forgot  all  about  the  long  and  weary  marches  they 
had  made ; their  suffering  from  sickness,  hunger  and  cold ; 
the  dangers,  battles  and  scenes  of  carnage  they  had  passed 
through.  All  thoughts  of  these  things  were  swept  away 
by  the  great  flood  of  joy  that  overwhelmed  them,  because 
of  the  glorious  victory  of  the  hosts  of  Union  and  Liberty 
over  the  hosts  of  Treason. 

(589)  And  now  a remarkable  feature  of  this  almost 
closing  scene  in  the  great  drama  of  the  Civil  War  should 
not  fail  of  receiving  notice,  especially  as  it  has  not  hitherto 
been  alluded  to,  so  far  as  has  been  observed,  in  any  other 
published  account  of  the  surrender.  About  a half  hour 
after  the  cheering  had  ceased  on  the  part  of  the  Union 
soldiers,  there  was  almost  as  vigorous  cheering  in  the 
Rebel  camp.  This  conduct  of  the  enemy  had  something 
of  the  appearance  of  rejoicing  over  their  own  defeat. 
However,  though  no  explanation  is  remembered  as  ever 
having  been  given  for  this  demonstration,  the  reasonable 
inference  is  that  they  were  cheering  because  they  had 
heard  the  news  that  they  were  to  be  paroled  upon  the  field 
and  sent  home,  instead  of  being  sent  to  prison.  Like  the 
Lhfion  soldiers  they  were  delighted  with  the  prospect  that 
they  should  soon  “breathe  the  air  again  of  our  (their) 
own  beloved  home.”  Be  this  as  it  may,  this  cheering  of 
Lee’s  defeated  veterans  was  a most  extraordinary  occur- 


213 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


rence.  And  it  is  doubtful  if  a parallel  to  it  can  be  found 
anywhere  in  all  previous  history.  This  was  a scene  the 
like  of  which  could  occur  nowhere  else,  perhaps,  on  the 
earth  at  this  time  than  in  this  free,  enlightened  and 
humane  land  of  ours. 

(590)  Some  mention  here  of  Lieut.  H.  R.  McCord 
will  perhaps  be  not  without  interest.  He  was  mustered  in 
as  first  sergt.  of  Company  G.  During  the  war  he  re- 
ceived promotions  up  to  first  lieutenant,  and  when  Col. 
Curtis  was  put  in  command  of  a brigade,  McCord  was 
appointed  adjutant  general  on  the  colonel’s  staff.  The 
lieutenant  had  relations  living  all  during  the  war  within 
the  Rebel  lines,  and  he  would  hear,  through  letters  from 
them  occasionally.  He  came  to  believe  and  so  expressed 
himself  during  the  last  year  of  the  war,  that  the  Rebels 
would  never  be  conquered.  Doubtless  the  die-in-the-last- 
ditch  spirit  breathed  in  those  letters  was  responsible  for 
that  belief.  He  never  gave  up  that  idea  until  the  morn- 
ing of  Lee’s  surrender.  This  want  of  faith  in  final  suc- 
cess, however,  in  nowise  interfered  with  his  faithfulness 
and  efficiency  as  a soldier,  for  he  was  ever  ready  to  do  his 
whole  duty  bravely  and  well.  The  cloud  of  despair  that 
had  hung  over  him  was  all  swept  away  that  memorable 
morning,  as  a fog  before  the  breeze.  And  perhaps  there 
was  not  a gladder  man,  nor  one  that  rejoiced  more  heart- 
ily that  day  in  the  entire  army  than  he,  over  the  glorious 
victory  and  the  downfall  of  the  Rebellion. 

(591)  Two  divisions  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Corps  and 
some  other  troops  remained  on  the  field  of  surrender 
while  the  Rebels  were  in  course  of  being  paroled.  At 
first  for  about  one  day  our  guards  kept  the  soldiers  of  the 
two  armies  apart  and  from  mingling  with  each  other. 
After  that  there  was  no  restraint  put  upon  them,  and  the 
late  deadly  enemies  met  and  chatted  in  a quite  amicable 
and  seemingly  friendly  way,  just  as  if  they  had  never 
been  at  war  with  each  other.  The  Johnnys  were  dis- 
posed to  contend  that  if  the  number  of  their  men  and 


214 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


their  means  had  been  equal  to  those  of  Uncle  Sam,  they 
could  not  have  been  conquered.  But  they  said  nothing 
at  that  time  about  one  Southern  man  being  able  to  whip 
five  Yankees. 

(592)  There  was  considerable  trading  going  on  be- 
tween the  soldiers  of  the  two  armies.  The  boys  on  either 
side  were  disposed  to  trade  almost  anything  they  had. 
The  Johnnys  would  sell  their  Confederate  money  for 
about  anything  they  could  get  for  it,  and  they  would  go 
to  our  sutlers  and  spend  any  “green-back”  or  postal-scrip 
money  thus  obtained  for  tobacco,  being  anxious  to  get,  as 
they  said,  some  “Yankee  tobacco.”  They  quite  generally 
expressed  a willingness  to  give  up  the  struggle;  to  have 
the  war  end  immediately,  and  to  submit  to  the  authority 
of  the  United  States. 

(593)  The  world  has  heard  much  of  the  hero  of  Ap- 
pomattox and  the  famous  apple  tree.  Gen.  Grant  rather 
spoils  that  story  of  Lee’s  surrendering  to  him  under  the 
apple  tree,  by  saying  in  his  memoirs  that  it  had  very 
small  basis  of  fact,  viz.,  that  Gen.  Lee  had  met  Grant’s 
staff  officer,  Gen.  Babcock,  under  an  apple  tree  which 
stood  near  a road  running  up  through  an  orchard,  which 
was  near  the  Rebel  camp.  After  all,  though  this  story 
has  a pretty  good  basis  of  fact,  many  a good  tale  has  less. 
At  all  events  it  was  quite  generally  believed  by  the  Union 
troops,  and  there  was  accordingly  a scramble  among 
them  for  fragments  of  the  tree.  Many  of  the  Twelfth 
managed  to  get  pieces  of  it,  for  when  it  came  to  “con- 
fiscating” things  and  appropriating  them  to  private  use 
this  regiment  was  never  far  behind. 

(594)  As  anything  relating  to  that  historic  field  and 
that  memorable  day  is  of  interest,  the  following  as  re- 
lated by  a soldier  of  the  Twelfth  is  given  : 

(595)  On  the  day  of  the  surrender  or  perhaps  the  next 
day,  I was  strolling  about  the  field  and  chanced  to  ap- 
proach near  to  where  a colonel  of  our  army  and  a citizen 
were  in  conversation.  This  citizen,  it  seemed,  was  no 


215 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


other  than  McLean,  at  whose  house  Gen.  Grant  drew  up 
the  terms  of  the  surrender  of  Lee’s  army.  Just  as  I 
came  up  McLean  was  saying,  “I  own  the  ground  where 
the  first  battle  of  the  war  was  fought,  Bull  Run,  and  I 
own  the  ground  where  the  last  battle  of  the  war  was 
fought,  at  this  place.”  This  remark  arrested  my  atten- 
tion. I knew  that  it  was  generally  regarded  among  the 
Union  troops  that  Lee's  surrender  was  the  virtual  col- 
lapse of  the  Rebellion,  but  I was  interested  in  having  a 
confirmation  of  this  opinion  from  a Rebel  himself,  being 
like  the  rest  of  the  boys  anxious  to  have  the  cruel  war 
over ; so  I could  not  refrain  from  saying : “And  so  you 
regard  the  war  as  being  over?”  addressing  my  remark 
ot  the  citizen.  “Yes,”  said  McLean.  The  colonel  an- 
swered also,  saying,  “And  one  of  the  greatest  generals 
of  the  world.  General  Lee,  so  regards  it.”  I felt  a vaguely 
defined  sense  of  displeasure  at  and  disapproval  of  this  re- 
mark of  the  colonel,  but  said  nothing. 

(596)  Perhaps  if  this  soldier  had  looked  into  his  mind 
for  the  motive  of  this  feeling,  he  would  have  found  it  in 
the  fact  that  it  was  hardly  consistent  with  loyalty  to  his 
country,  its  cause  and  his  comrades  to  be  praising  this 
Rebel  general  whose  hands  were  red  with  his  comrades’ 
blood,  who  had  been  fighting  against  the  only  free  gov- 
ernment at  that  time  worthy  of  the  name  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  endeavoring  to  set  up  a government  founded 
on  the  barbarism  of  human  slavery ; and  whose  so-called 
government  had  so  cruelly  treated  his  comrades  at  An- 
dersonville  and  other  prisons. 

(597)  The  officers  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  seem 
to  have  had  a very  high  opinion  of  the  military  ability  of 
Gen.  Lee.  Gen.  Grant  says  in  his  Memoirs  that  it  was 
no  uncommon  thing  for  his  staff  officers  to  hear  from 
Eastern  officers:  “Well,  Grant  has  never  met  Bobby  Lee 
yet,”  implying  that  when  Grant  should  meet  him  he  would 
meet  a greater  military  antagonist  than  he  had  previously 
met  and  perhaps  an  over-match.  Events — the  hard  tug  of 


216 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


war  for  about  a year,  however,  proved  that  “Old  United 
States  Grant”  was  too  much  for  “Bobby  Lee.” 

(598)  Impartial  history  will,  no  doubt,  record  with 
substantially  one  voice  that  the  blacks  were  innocently  the 
cause  of  the  war.  Anything  therefore  relating  to  the 
“contrabands”  in  connection  with  the  war  will  not  be  im- 
pertinent, so  an  incident  in  regard  to  one  of  them  is  here 
given.  One  day  during  the  several  days  we  were  camped 
at  Appomattox  a colored  man  came  into  the  camp  of  the 
Twelfth.  On  being  engaged  in  conversation  and  asked 
if  he  knew  that  his  people  were  now  all  free,  and  told  that 
President  Lincoln  had  two  years  before  the  then  last  New 
Years’  declared  all  the  slaves  in  the  land  forever  free,  and 
being  told  that  he  was  now,  since  the  Rebels  were  whipped, 
as  free  as  any  man,  he  seemed  almost  struck  dumb  with 
amazement,  managing,  however,  to  utter  some  devout 
ejaculations.  He  appeared  to  be  though  more  incredulous 
if  possible,  than  amazed. 

(599)  It  may  seem  to  be  almost  incredible  that  this 
black  man  living  not  more  than  80  miles  from  our  lines, 
for  the  then  past  year,  should  be  ignorant  of  the  Procla- 
mation of  Emancipation,  at  a time  more  than  two  years 
after  it  had  been  issued,  especially  as  news  is  said  to  have 
generally  traveled  fast  among  the  slave  population.  He, 
however,  did  not  know  of  the  granting  of  this  great  and 
long  prayed  for  boon  to  his  race  by  “Massa  Linkum,”  or 
else  he  was  a very  skillful  adept  in  assuming  ignorance. 
It  may  be  remarked  here  that  in  whatever  degree  the 
slaves  may  have  been  ignorant  of  the  existence  of  the 
Proclamation,  they  seemed  to  know  by  intuition  or  other7 
wise  that  their  interests  lay  with  the  success  of  the  Union 
cause. 

(600)  Within  three  or  four  days  after  the  surrender 
Lee’s  army  was  all  paroled  and  sent  home.  April  12th 
the  Second  Division  (ours)  marched  for  Lynchburg,  ar- 
riving there  on  the  14th,  and  destroyed  much  war  mate- 
rial at  that  place.  The  Second  Brigade  entered  the  town 


217 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


in  advance,  and  as  our  men  marched  along  the  streets  the 
blacks  in  great  numbers,  many  of  them  sent  from  various 
place — some  from  North  Carolina — for  safe  keeping, 
thronged  the  streets.  They  were  wild  with  joy.  They 
threw  their  arms  around  each  other,  shouting  “Glory  to 
God ! the  Yanks  am  come  and  we’re  all  free.” 

(601)  The  16th  the  command  started  back  from 
Lynchburg  and  scarcely,  if  at  all,  halting  at  Appomattox, 
pushed  on  toward  Richmond.  Our  division  halted  a few 
days  at  Burkesville,  during  which  time  the  Twelfth  was 
paid  to  the  first  of  the  past  January.  We  then  marched 
on  to  Richmond,  arriving  there  the  24th.  Our  brigade 
was  camped  near  the  city.  We  remained  here  nearly  two 
months  and  during  this  time,  the  16th  of  June,  the  Twelfth 
was  mustered  out.  And  it  was  while  we  were  here  that 
one  pleasant  June  afternoon  we  were  marched  to  a point 
nearer  the  city  than  our  camp,  and  just  as  the  shades  of 
night  were  beginning  to  spread  over  the  landscape,  the 
boys  of  the  Twelfth  who  had  won  medals  at  Fort  Gregg 
were  presented  them,  receiving  them  as  before,  written 
from  the  hand  of  Gen.  John  Gibbon’s  daughter.  This  was 
a proud  day  for  those  boys. 

(602)  On  the  20th  of  June,  the  Twelfth  took  trans- 
ports for  home.  They  landed  us  at  Baltimore.  We  took 
cars  there  for  Wheeling,  arriving  there  the  24th.  In  a 
few  days  the  men  were  paid  off  and,  receiving  their  dis- 
charges, were  soon  on  their  way  to  their  several  homes 
to  enjoy  the  peace  they  had  to  fight  for;  and  yet  as  long 
as  they  should  live,  from  time  to  time,  fight  battles  over 
again.  It  should  be  said,  however,  that  before  leaving 
for  their  homes  the  boys  were  given  a grand  dinner  by 
the  generous  citizens  of  Wheeling. 

(603)  Col.  Curtis  died  August  25th,  1891.  There 
was  always  a high  respect  and  filial  regard  entertained  on 
the  part  of  the  members  of  the  regiment  for  their  late 
commander;  and  the  survivors  will  be  gratified  to  have 


218 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


here  recorded  Col.  Caldwell’s  memorial  address,  before 
referred  to,  upon  his  life  and  character. 

COLONEL  CALDWELL’S  ADDRESS. 

(604)  Comrades  and  Friends : — General  Curtis  is 
gone.  He  was  a grandson  of  John  Curtis,  a patriot  sol- 
dier of  1776. 

(605)  General  Curtis  was  born  April  18,  1821,  on  now 
historic  ground  where  the  great  battle  of  Antietam  was 
afterwards  fought. 

(606)  In  1832  his  parents  removed  to  the  town  of 
West  Liberty,  in  Ohio  county,  where  on  becoming  of  age 
he  engaged  and  continued  in  business  as  a merchant  until 
he  became  a soldier  in  1862.  In  1861  he  was  a member 
of  the  State  convention  at  Wheeling,  which  organized  a 
loyal  State  government  for  Virginia. 

(607)  In  1776  one  of  the  members  of  the  Continental 
Congress  advocated  unanimity  in  supporting  the  immortal 
declaration  of  our  country’s  independence  by  reminding 
his  fellow-congressmen  that  “they  must  all  hang  together, 
or  they  would  all  hang  separately.”  In  that  Wheeling 
convention  every  man  had  to  face  the  same  situation. 
Each  one  who  cast  his  lot  and  his  vote  there  on  the  LTnion 
side  risked  his  life,  his  fortune  and  his  sacred  honor  on 
what  was  then  a doubtful  result,  and  against  the  vast 
majority  of  the  people  of  his  State,  against  the  seductions 
of  State  sovereignty,  and  often  against  the  strongest  in- 
fluence of  family  ties.  General  Curtis  had  a brother  who 
was  colonel  of  the  Twenty-third  Virginia  Confederate 
Regiment  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Slaughter 
Mountain. 

(608)  If  the  South  succeeded,  death  or  exile,  confisca- 
tion of  property  and  business  and  social  proscription  were 
sure  to  each  member  of  that  convention.  It  was  a con- 
vention of  Southerners  true  to  the  old  flag  without  an 
appropriation.  From  its  results  was  born  West  Virginia, 


219 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


fair  and  patriotic,  devoted  and  loyal,  in  the  sisterhood 
of  States. 

(609)  It  is  one  of  the  proud  memories  that  we  cherish 
of  our  comrade  that  he  served  not  falteringly  among 
those  true  and  devoted  men.  In  1861  he  raised  and  ten- 
dered to  the  old  war  governor,  Francis  H.  Pierpont,  a 
company  of  volunteers.  Again  in  1862  he  enlisted  a com- 
pany which  became  Company  D of  the  Twelfth  West 
Virginia  Infantry.  He  was  elected  captain. 

(610)  In  1863  the  nine  captains  of  the  regiment, 
other  than  himself,  and  the  other  commissioned  officers, 
elected  him  major.  As  such  he  commanded  the  regiment 
until  January,  1864,  when  his  worth  was  again  recognized 
by  his  election  by  his  fellow-officers  of  the  regiment  as 
colonel,  and  their  choice  was  ratified  by  Governor  Bore- 
man.  Holding  that  distinguished  rank,  he  commanded 
generally  a brigade,  soemtimes  his  regiment,  until  the 
close  of  the  war. 

(611)  Even  while  thus  serving  he  suffered  from  dis- 
ease, but  was  a soldier  who  never  lost  a day’s  duty  in 
those  trying  years,  or  answered  a surgeon’s  roll  call. 
Whoever  else  was  absent,  he  was  always  “present  for 
duty.’’ 

(612)  At  New  Market,  Piedmont,  Lynchburg,  at 
Snicker’s  Ford,  Ivearnstown,  Winchester,  Fisher’s  Hill, 
and  above  all  at  Fort  Gregg,  he  was  the  leader  not  only 
in  rank  of  his  brigade,  but  in  fact.  He  served  under  the 
quick,  brilliant  and  glorious  Phil.  Sheridan,  the  Stone- 
wall Jackson  of  our  side,  throughout  the  great  campaign 
of  1864  in  Shenandoah  Valley. 

(613)  At  Snicker’s  Ford  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful 
Shenandoah,  we  were  all  ranged  along  the  shore  of  the 
river  behind  a low  fence  of  stone  surmounted  by  rails. 
The  Confederates  had  lately  had  a blockade  runner  get 
through,  and  wore  light  blue  trousers  and  jackets,  once 
gray,  which  time  and  service  had  rendered  of  no  particular 
color.  Their  skirmishers  approached  us,  walking  back- 


220 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 

wards  and  turning  to  fire.  Our  boys,  when  they  got  near, 
wanted  to  fire  on  them,  but  Colonel  Curtis  forbade  it,  say- 
ing: “Those  are  our  men.” 

(614)  Directly  one  of  them  turned  and  took  deliberate 
aim  at  the  colonel,  who  was  standing  by  a rail  upright  by 
his  side,  and  blazed  away.  Tung!  went  the  oak  rail  as 
it  was  struck  by  the  ball  close  to  his  head.  It  was  the  only 
time  I ever  knew  the  colonel  to  forget  his  tactics.  “Shoot 
them,  boys,  shoot  them  now !”  he  said  with  energy.  It 
was  not  the  regulation  command,  but  it  was  appropriate 
and  efficient. 

(615)  The  foremost  of  all  who  served,  General  Grant, 
in  his  Personal  Memoirs,  calls  the  assault  by  Curtis’s 
Brigade  on  Fort  Gregg  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  “des- 
perate.” In  this  assault  there  were  715  men  and  officers 
killed  and  wounded  on  Sunday,  April  2,  1865,  yet  Col. 
Curtis  captured  the  fort.  His  own  regiment  had  three 
color  bearers  killed  in  planting  their  flag  on  the  ramparts. 

(616)  After  he  had  ordered  the  charge  General  Foster 
regarding  it  as  impossible  of  success,  ordered  that  it 
should  be  abandoned  after  the  troops  had  got  near  the 
fort.  But  American  soldiers  are  men  of  intelligence.  With 
one  mind  they  thought  that  they  were  more  certain  to  be 
shot  down  if  they  turned  their  backs-,  than  if  they  went  on. 
They  rushed  forward  through  chevaux  de  fris  and  ditch 
and  threw  themselves  on  their  faces  against  the  sandy 
front  of  the  ramparts.  General  Foster  exclaimed  when 
they  refused  to  about  face:  “Well,  go  on.  You’ll  all  be 
killed  anyhow.”  A two  hours’  hand  to  hand  contest  over 
the  walls  of  the  fort  resulted  in  its  capture. 

(617)  General  Gibbons  called  it  “if  not  the  most  des- 
perate, one  of  the  most  desperate  assaults  of  the  whole 
war.”  A few  days  afterward  at  a grand  review  at  Rich- 
mond, one  officer  and  two  privates  of  the  regiment  were 
called  to  step  four  paces  in  front  of  the  line  of  battle.  A 
general  order  was  then  read,  naming  them  for  conspicu- 
ous personal  gallantry  in  the  assault,  and  soon  afterwards 


221 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


bronze  medals  were  presented  to  them  by  our  National 
Congress.  One  of  these  three  was  that  brave  and  fearless 
soldier,  Lieut.  Mont.  Curtis,  now  deceased,  a son  of  Gen. 
Curtis. 

(618)  For  the  part  he  took  the  eagles  upon  Colonel 
Curtis’s  shoulders  wtre  replaced  by  the  general’s  stars  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  The  official  record 
in  the  War  Department  of  the  promotion  reads  : “For  gal- 
lant service  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Gregg,  Virginia.”  The 
regiment  was  presented  with  a bronze  eagle  for  its  con- 
duct. It  bears  the  inscription  : 

(619)  “Presented  to  the  Twelfth  Regiment,  West 
Virginia  Volunteer  Infantry,  by  their  corps  commander. 
General  John  Gibbon,  for  gallant  conduct  in  the  assault 
upon  Fort  Gregg,  near  Petersburg,  Va.,  April  2,  1865.” 

(620)  Richmond  was  immediately  evacuated  when 
this  fort  surrendered.  General  Curtis  was  afterward 
elected  a member  of  the  Legislature,  and  rendered  impor- 
tant civil  srvices  to  the  State,  and  has  continually  held 
positions  of  honor  and  importance  bestowed  by  his  com- 
rades in  the  G.  A.  R. 

(621)  Owing  to  declining  health  he  had  for  some 
years  lived  in  retirement  before  his  death  on  the  25th  of 
last  August  at  his  home  in  West  Liberty,  at  which  time 
he  was  one  of  our  vice  presidents.  Our  deceased  comrade 
was  a modest  man,  but  we  have  no  reason  to  be  modest 
in  speaking  of  him. 

(622)  It  was  the  fortune  of  your  speaker  to  sleep  in 
the  same  blankets  with  General  Curtis  for  two  years  and 
a half  during  his  service,  being  his  adjutant,  and  he  was 
the  most  indulgent,  considerate  and  generous  of  men, 
manly  and  Christian  in  all  his  character.  He  had  the 
rare  faculty  of  attaching  those  he  led  to  himself  in  un- 
wavering confidence,  and  that  enthusiastic,  affectionate 
personal  regard  without  which  no  military  captain  of  any 
degree  can  be  a success. 

(623)  Like  the  Old  Commander  who  received  the 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


sword  of  Lee  at  Appomattox,  he  was  level-headed,  and 
never  lost  his  head  in  the  hour  of  danger ; had  full  posses- 
sion of  his  faculties  and  capabilities  in  the  hour  of  battle, 
as  well  as  on  dress  parade. 

(624)  In  time  of  peace  he  was  a man  of  peace.  When 
war  came  he  became  a soldier.  When  peace  returned 
again,  he  returned  to  the  paths  of  peace.  He  was  a splen- 
did type  of  the  citizen-soldier.  At  the  end  of  his  “three 
score  years  and  ten”  he  leaves  a memory  which  will  be 
revered,  honored  and  cherished  by  his  comrades,  and 
perpetuated  in  the  history  of  a grateful  country. 


CONCLUSION. 

A few  words  in  conclusion  are  ventured.  From  a mili- 
tary point  of  view  it  would  appear  that  one  of  the  lessons 
of  the  war,  if  not  the  most  important  one,  teaches  that 
we  should  not  over-estimate  our  own  valor,  strength  and 
resources,  or  under-estimate  those  of  the  enemy.  Ac- 
cordingly, when  it  becomes  necessary  to  go  to  war,  mak- 
ing full  allowance  for  any  possible  inadequacy  of  estimate 
in  these  regards,  we  should  strike  with  ample  and  over- 
whelming force.  The  force  should  be  double  or  triple 
that  which  would  seem  to  be  enough,  rather  than  of  doubt- 
ful sufficiency.  In  fact,  where  there  is  uncertainty  as  to 
the  possible  magnitude  of  a war,  it  is  best  to  be  on  the  cer- 
tain side,  and  to  strike  the  first  blow  with  utmost 
strength,  rather  than  feebly — with  the  big  end  of  the 
bludgeon  of  war,  rather  than  with  the  little  end ; and  not 
do  as  was  done  by  the  government  in  the  late  war,  begin 
it  with  an  inadquate  force.  The  example  of  the  Prussians 
in  the  Franco-Prussian  War  teaches  a lesson  in  warfare. 
They  struck  in  the  beginning  with  overwhelming  force, 
and  made  short  work  of  the  war. 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  fact  in  connection  with  the 


223 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


conduct  of  our  late  war  was  the  lack  of  appreciation  of 
this  guiding  principle  of  precaution,  or  the  disregard  of 
it  on  each  side  of  the  contending  powers.  There  are  many 
examples  illustrating  this  fact.  The  failure  of  the  gov- 
ernment to  fully  measure  the  task  of  the  suppression  of 
the  Rebellion  prolonged  the  war  through  four  years,  seri- 
ously jeopardized  the  result,  and  caused  the  sacrifice  of 
a million  of  men,  and  the  expenditure  of  many  millions 
of  money  to  finally  suppress  it,  which  otherwise  might 
have  been  accomplished  with  one-tenth  of  the  cost  of  men 
and  money.  Twenty  thousand  more  men  on  the  Union 
side  at  Bull  Run,  for  instance,  which  additional  number 
could  easily  have  been  had,  would  probably  have  gained 
the  day  there,  and  put  an  end  to  the  war. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  Rebels  had  not  under-esti- 
mated the  valor  of  their  foes,  thinking  that  one  of  them 
could  whip  five  Yankees,  and  had  they  made  their  supreme 
effort  at  an  earlier  stage  of  the  war  instead  of  at  the  last 
of  it,  when  they  were  “robbing  the  cradle  and  the  grave’’ 
to  recruit  their  armies — if  for  instance  they  had  had  at 
Antietam  110,000  men  instead  of  60,000  or  70,000,  over 
which  McClellan  failed  to  gain  a decisive  victory,  which 
larger  number  they  could  have  had  as  easily  as  they  could 
bring  on  the  field  of  Gettysburg  100,000  men  almost  a 
year  later,  after  meeting  heavy  losses  at  Chancellorsville 
and  on  other  fields,  it  is  no  violent  presumption  to  say  that 
they  might  have  won  the  day  and  gained  their  independ- 
ence. 

However,  regarding  the  war  from  a moral  and  political 
standpoint,  it  sometimes  seems  as  if  the  war  did  not  last 
long  enough.  It  took  years  of  the  terrible  scourge  of 
war,  it  would  appear,  to  convince  the  people  of  the  seceded 
states,  and  to  wring  from  them  the  acknowledgement  that 
they  were  better  off  without  slavery  than  with  it.  And 
perhaps  if  the  war  had  lasted  a little  longer,  and  the 
Rebels  had  felt  still  further  the  scourge  of  war,  those  who 
now  have  so  much  respectful  regard  for  the  flag  of  trea- 


224 


WEST  VIRGINIA  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


son,  and  the  Lost  Cause  and  their  defenders,  might  have 
finally  become  convinced  that  one  flag  and  one  cause  and 
its  defenders  are  enough  to  honor;  and  that  there  should 
be  no  place  in  the  patriotic  regard  and  affection  of  the  peo- 
ple in  this  free  land  of  ours  for  the  Rebel  flag,  the  Lost 
Cause  or  their  defenders.  Big  as  this  country  is  it  ought 
to  be  too  little  to  give  room  for  any  display  of  honor  to 
the  Rebel  flag,  the  Lost  Cause,  or  their  champions,  dead 
or  alive.  Therefore,  no  soldier  who  would  be  faithful  to 
his  country  and  the  cause  for  which  he  fought  should  join 
in  any  ceremony  of  decorating  Rebel  graves,  of  holding 
reunions  with  Rebels,  or  of  putting  up  monuments  to 
them. 

A few  years  since  Gen.  Sherman,  at  a Soldiers’  reunion, 
said  that  it  was  commendable  to  decorate  Union  soldiers’ 
graves,  to  encourage  reunions  and  to  put  up  soldiers’ 
monuments,  as  to  do  these  things  was  to  create  and  nur- 
ture a patriotic  sentiment.  Granting  the  truth  of  this,  it 
follows  then  as  the  night  follows  the  day  that  to  take  part 
in  these  or  similar  ceremones,  when  done  in  honor  of  or 
with  Rebels  distinctively  as  such,  in  contradistinction  to 
being  Union  soldiers  or  citizens,  is  to  engender  and  to 
nurture  disloyalty.  No  Union  soldier  should  do  it.  The 
reason  given  by  those  of  them  who  do  so,  is  that  they 
wish  to  remove  the  animosities  of  the  war,  and  to  culti- 
vate a fraternal  feeling  between  the  sections.  The  motive 
is  good,  but  is  it  not  paying  too  dearly  for  kindly  feeling 
and  fraternal  regard  when  they  are  obtained  at  the  cost 
of  the  inculcation  of  disloyalty? 

The  people  of  the  late  seceded  States  claim  to  be  now 
as  loyal  as  those  of  the  rest  of  the  Union ; but  while  there 
is  a growing  improvment  in  respect  to  the  loyalty  of  the 
former,  there  is  too  much  of  the  old  disloyal  spirit  among 
them  yet.  Many  instances  might  be  given ; but  only  that 
of  the  utterance  of  the  following  sentiment  by  Gen.  Early 
at  the  unveiling  of  the  monument  erected  in  1891  to  the 
memory  of  “Stonewall”  Jackson,  and  the  manner  in  which 


225 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TWELFTH  REGIMENT 


it  was  received,  is  given : “If  I am  ever  known  to  repu- 
diate the  cause  for  which  Lee  fought  and  Jackson  died,” 
said  Early,  “may  the  lightning  of  heaven  blast  me,  and 
the  scorn  of  all  brave  men  and  good  women  be  my  por- 
tion.” According  to  the  Charlottesville,  ( Va .)  Chronicle, 
from  which  the  above  quotation  is  taken,  this  sentiment 
was  cheered  by  twenty  thousand  throats.  The  fair  infer- 
ence is  that  Gen.  Early  and  those  cheering  his  sentiment 
are  as  much  Rebels  as  they  ever  were. 

The  same  newspaper  above  named  says  that  there  were 
ten  thousand  Union  soldiers  present  at  the  unveiling  of 
this  monument.  While  the  loyal  sentiment  of  the  land 
thus  suffers  the  inculcation  of  treason,  and  itself  to  be  in- 
sulted by  demonstrations  like  that  of  the  unveiling  of  the 
monument  referred  to,  and  others  of  similar  character  in 
honor  of  late  Rebels  or  the  cause  for  which  they  fought, 
by  those  who  lately  bore  arms  against  the  government — 
there  is  no  obligation  of  good  feeling  or  of  fraternity  that 
demands  of  Union  soldiers  the  countenancing  and  aiding 
of  these  traitor-breeding  demonstrations,  by  their  pres- 
ence at  them.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  country  is  to  be 
spared  the  humiliating  spectacle  of  many  more  such  dis- 
gusting manifestations  of  falsity  on  the  part  of  the  Union 
soldiers  to  the  cause  for  which  they  fought,  as  that  it  had 
to  witness  at  the  unveiling  of  the  monument  erected  to 
the  memory  of  “Stonewall”  Jackson  at  Lexington,  Va. 


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